PreCell Saga: Romance Rising
by PX
Summary: Occurs prior to the Cell saga.  How did Vegeta and Bulma actually get together?  Can Vegeta finally defeat the demons of his past, and find happiness with Bulma?  Drama ensues.  Rated M for language & sexual content. XP
1. Memories

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z, nor any of it's characters or content. This is solely for fanfiction purposes.

Any comments, questions, or reviews would be great. I'll update often as long as I get reviews. I'd like to know at least one person is reading this before I post a new chapter. Hope you like it!

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Bulma stared wide-eyed at the man standing before her. Fear pulsed through her veins, even as it mingled with another emotion...curiosity.

_Damn this curiosity_. She was quite possibly mesmerized by the hunk of a Saiyan that stood glowering at her, only a few feet away. _Vegeta_, he called himself, the Prince of all Saiyans. Bulma let out a small 'hmpf' at the thought. _Not if they're all dead, you're not_. Up until a short few days ago, he had been their enemy. And now...now as he leaned nonchalantly against the Capsule Corp. building, his hair swaying ever so gently in the wind, Bulma couldn't help but stare in awe. He was beautiful.

Bulma's gawking did not go unnoticed by the battle-hardened Saiyan. Vegeta gently sniffed the air in the way that only Saiyans could. He struggled to gauge her emotions through scent. He wasn't an expert on women - not in the least. The few women he had known well were his mother, his sisters, and her...Vegeta shook his head slightly, fighting the memories of a particular Saiyan girl as they crept into his mind. _I won't think of her anymore_. He felt stupid and vulnerable, reflecting on the dead. What was he, a human?

Bulma and Vegeta's stare down came to an abrupt end when Krillin and the Yamacha interrupted them with mindless banter.

"I can't believe this is over", cried Krillin, "We sure kicked Frieza s ass big time!"

"Don't you think you're using the plural too much?", asked Yamacha. "I mean seriously, if it hadn't been for Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta, you would've pretty much been two halves of a whole."

Krillin glared daggers at Yamacha. They really could never get along, not even during a peaceful afternoon lunch at Bulma's. Bulma, immediately sensing the growing tension between the two, stepped in to interject. "Say Yamacha, what exactly did you do to stop Frieza again?" Yamacha blushed a bright red, her point having been made clear. Krillin, on the other hand, literally fell off of his seat laughing.

Vegeta let out a deep sigh, one of the millions he had let out today alone. He grew tired of listening to petty human concerns. Even the deep loneliness of space would have been preferable. At least then, he wouldn't be forced to think so much.

Bulma was a particularly perceptive person, and she quickly picked up on her new housemate's growing anxiety. "Say guys, maybe we should call it a day, huh?" , she stated a little to firmly. Yamacha and Krillin cast Vegeta a weary glance, perhaps finally noticing his growing annoyance. They quickly bid there goodbyes, leaving shortly thereafter, and leaving Vegeta and Bulma to sit on the patio picnic table in utter silence.

"So..." , started Bulma, hoping to break the uncomfortable silence.

Vegeta quickly silenced her with a glare. He knew the woman wanted to start unecessary conversation. "Woman, I grow tired of humoring you. If you want me to stay here and train, instead of slaughtering those half-brained meat shields you call Earthlings, I suggest you provide better incentive."

Bulma gulped, a mixture of anger and genuine fear rising in her throat. She knew Vegeta was only here for the technological services she could provide him, but she had half hoped he would see her more as a friend..._Wishful thinking_, she thought immediately.

"I-I-I'll have the Gravity Room ready soon" , she stuttered. There was something unnerving about the way the Saiyan stared directly at her. "It's too dangerous to train in it right now" , continued Bulma with a bit more confidence. Why should she be afraid of him anyhow? This was her own house. If Vegeta didn't like it, he could leave. Vegeta grunted his disapproval, and strutted back into Capsule Corp. wordlessly. Bulma was left all alone. She tired of being of alone.

Now it was Bulma's turn to reminisce. She thought of Yamacha first. She remembered how great it had been at the beginning, and how ugly it turned towards the end. Chi Chi and Bunny had practically assured her that Yamacha would be begging to marry her before the year s end. And on her twentieth birthday, when Yamacha asked her out on a romantic date at an expensive Italian restaurant, Bulma was practically doing back flips. Finally, she d be getting married!...or so she thought. Much to her surprise, Yamacha had only made this extra effort to explain to her why, instead of getting married, they'd be breaking up. Bulma gaped at Yamacha the entire time, as he babbled on for what seemed like hours, ultimately blaming her for everything that went wrong in their relationship. Bulma didn't shed a single tear that evening, or the following day for that matter. In fact, it wasn t until she found a box full of Valentine's Day teddy bears that Yamacha had given her over the years, that Bulma found herself bawling face down into her bedspread. She couldn't move for a week.

_Then there was Goku_...her beloved childhood friend Goku. She had loved him since they were young, and as they grew older, that love took a turn for the romantic. But Goku, he never did see her as anything more than a sister. Bulma had all but given up on him, until one memorable tournament... The day before Goku was set to compete, he and Bulma shared a moment. In all the excitement of the day, the two friends shocked each other by exchanging a brief kiss on the lips.

Bulma remembered staring deep into Goku's eyes, only to have her lips passionately captured by Goku's a second time. It was all they did that evening, but it had set Bulma's mind on fire. The next day, during the tournament, Chi Chi fought her way back into their lives. After years of having been out of sight, Chi Chi returned to remind Goku of their betrothal from years ago. And, of course, good old Goku complied. He and Bulma pretended that their passionate kiss had never happened, and they never spoke about it again. But Bulma never forgot.

Now, there was Vegeta. Bulma didn't want to consider Vegeta a part of her repertoire of romances just yet. But the past few days he spent there, had Bulma's mind churning. She wanted to think that it had something to do with her lifelong love of Goku, some weird psychological attraction, but she knew that Vegeta was no Goku, and that sooner or later their lives would be destined to intertwine and crash...


	2. Ordinary Days

Vegeta had taken to sleeping in the basement of Capsule Corp. It was one of Dr. Brief's old labs, and it offered Vegeta the comfort he needed. He hated the thought of sleeping on a warm bed. The cold, calculated steel lab was much better suited for him. It was something he was accustomed to. His blue-haired hostess, however, insisted on providing him with blankets and pillows. He had wanted to rip her head off for her insistence, but thought it better not to. Who else would fix the Gravity Room for him? He needed to train. He needed to reach Son Goku s level. He needed to be a Super Saiyan. It's what _she_ would have wanted. Vegeta clawed at his eyes, trying to rip the flashing images out of his head. After a while he finally began to fall asleep, when suddenly...

RAP! RAP! RAP!

Someone knocked insistently on door of the lab. Vegeta sniffed the air. _The woman_. Vegeta growled under his breath as the knocking continued. He stood up and walked briskly towards the door, knocking over an empty cup in the process.

RAP! RAP! RAP!

Vegeta forcefully yanked door open, ripping it off its hinges and causing Bulma to fall in face first. A loaded tray of food splattered across the floor. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU WANT? DOES THE NOTION OF SOLITUDE ESCAPE YOU? LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Bulma immediately backed away fearfully. She hadn t expected to be met with open arms, but she also hadn t expected such a volatile reception. "I-I m sorry! I was just bringing you food! But if you re going to act this way, then why don t you just starve?" Bulma pulled herself up from the floor and ran out of the room. Vegeta was slightly taken aback by her response to him. She had tried to be extremely generous and understanding with him up until this point.

In fact, Bulma continued to run for what seemed like an hour, ultimately running straight into a park a few miles from her home, lunging herself onto the old park bench she had lunged into hundreds of times before. There she wept for another hour, cursing her life, her family, and all of the earth and its inhabitants.

At some point she fell into an uneasy sleep, allowing the hours to pass. She awoke to the feeling of two hands boldly exploring her body. The moonlit darkness flooded into her eyes. The form of a man, some drunken punk, hovered over her, his hands still up her shirt. "Hey baby, stay still", he slurred. Bulma let out a death screech.

"Let go of me!", she cried.

Bulma was never a significant fighter, but that didn t mean she hadn't learned a thing or two from Goku and the gang. Almost instinctively, Bulma headbutted the punk with her forehead. Her hard-headedness was definitely one of her more useful qualities. Slightly stunned, the punk staggered back a few steps. Bulma finished off the intoxicated, and now dazed, man with a crushing knee kick to the groin. As soon as he was down on the ground, Bulma began to run again. How had she let the time pass by? _Did I seriously just sleep in a fucking park bench_? Bulma shook the racing thoughts from her head. She hated how erratic her behavior had become. Why was Vegeta having such a horrifying effect on her? It was the same as with Goku and Yamacha. What type of woman was she becoming?

WHAM!

Bulma felt as if she had smacked straight into a tree...or a cement wall. She toppled to the floor.

"WOMAN, WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM? IS THERE A REASON YOU RE SCREAMING LIKE AN INFERNAL BANSHEE?", roared a gruff voice.

As soon as her vision settled, Bulma could see straight into the city-lit darkness. She could focus on the perfectly defined form of Vegeta. Under the glow of the park's lamps, he looked mysterious and...gorgeous. Bulma took quick note of the fact that he was shirtless, wearing only his training shorts.

"Did you hear me woman? I asked you a question. Answer when you're spoken to!", continued Vegeta.

He was clearly upset, upset enough to wake Bulma from her trance. She glared daggers at him.

"What's your problem?", she finally answered. "Why the fuck are you even here? Did you break the Gravity Room again? Are you that retarded? My father can fix that you know? You don t have to go out of your way to find and aggravate me."

Vegeta's voice caught in his throat. Only one person had ever dared to speak to him that way, and she had never done so in a situation like this one. He raised a hand to strike Bulma across the face. He would teach the woman some humility the easy way or the hard way. Bulma flinched immediately, expecting a skull-crushing blow. Her reaction stopped him dead in his tracks, and slowly he let his hand fall to his side. Mustering all the self-control left in his body, Vegeta growled out a gutteral response.

"I followed your scent here. I heard you scream. I felt concern. I came to help. But if you don t need my help, then it's something I ll keep in mind from now on." The way he had attached an _I_ to the beginning of almost all his statements left Bulma feeling slightly unnerved. He was clearly pissed. But it dawned upon Bulma, that a guy like Vegeta was not privy to helping anyone. If he really had followed her to rescue her, then he was not nearly half as bad as everyone thought he was.

"I'm fine. Thank you." It was all she could respond, but at least she was no longer agitated. Vegeta could see the change of emotion in her eyes. She had gotten the point. Seconds later, Vegeta flew off wordlessly. He hadn't wanted to admit it this morning, but the way the woman had left running sent a knot to the pit of his stomach. He felt, for the first time in nearly a decade, like a bully once again. The screech she had let out a few minutes ago had all but confirmed the worst of Vegeta's fears. He would be to blame for another innocent woman's death. To find her slightly bedraggled but safe was more of a relief to him than anyone could imagine.

Bulma was left staring into the empty space where Vegeta once stood. He was a bundle of complexities, more than she was willing to handle. Maybe it would be best if they stayed the hell away from each other until this whole Android thing was over. Vegeta was toxic, and the last thing Bulma needed was to feed on yet another man's posion. After an hour-long sighing session, Bulma finally made her way home to Capsule Corp. It must have been two in the morning already.

She knew no one would be waiting up for her. Certainly, her parents neither knew nor cared about where she was. They had always been the type to live and let live. "Go on and live your life as you see fit Bulma! Explore, travel, fight for what you want!" That had been her father's one and only advice to her. Her mother, Bunny, had simply nodded dupily to everything her husband said. Bulma was ten at the time. A lot of her friends thought it must have been liberating to be able to travel halfway around the world, without restraint. Bulma was a genius. She had been independent and capable from a very young age. But sometimes she wished her parents were as overprotective as Chi Chi was with Gohan. Maybe then she wouldn't have had her heart broken so many times. One time, she remembered returning home after nearly two years of travel. Her father's only reaction was, "Oh, hey!"

Bulma shook the depressing thoughts from her mind as she pushed open the doors to Capsule Corp. She would've slunk her way back up to her room, if she hadn't been interrupted by a low growl. Bulma nearly jumped out of her sneakers. "Who"s there?" "Who do you think?", was the response. The ceiling lights flickered to life, flooding onto her and the seated form of Vegeta. He looked more annoyed than ever as he sat on the living room sofa. "What are you sitting in the dark for? That's fucking creepy!"

"So? I ll sit wherever I damn well please. And where the hell were you? I left you over an hour ago. Did you crawl your way back here?"

"What are you my father now?", snapped Bulma.

The need to sleep was insistently creeping its way into her body. The feeling mingled with a growing self-consciousness over her personal appearance. Vegeta had changed into a very appealing combination of cargo pants and a black muscle tee since they last saw each other. The minty smell of Old Spice flooded her senses. He looked and smelled like heaven. She, on the other hand, had dirt stains covering her clothes from having slept in a park bench. Her hair was disheveled from her earlier altercation, and the lack of makeup made her suddenly want to bury her face in her hands.

"Make yourself useful and make me dinner", grunted Vegeta. He could smell the woman's uneasiness around him, but he didn't care.

_Oh no he just didn't_. Bulma snorted in disgust. "Make it yourself Prince Charming." Bulma gave Vegeta a dramatic bow and stomped her way up the steps. Without thinking, Vegeta grabbed her wrist, inadvertently drawing her close to him. Bulma's emotions quickly played out across her face. A deep blush spread down to her neck. Vegeta, on the other hand, disallowed his feelings to betray him. He stared pokerfaced at the woman leaning in inches away from his face. "Don't push your luck woman", he whispered.  
Vegeta quickly let go of Bulma, trudging off into the basement to hide his own embarrassment over the whole situation. Bulma staggered dumbfounded up the stairs and into her room. She rushed in to take a shower, washing away the memories of the day, hoping that these ordinary days would be replaced by better ones...


	3. Moonlit Heart

"Woman, are you seeking death?", roared Vegeta. His voice was hoarse from the strain of screaming. However, considering the amount of time he spent screaming in the Gravity Room coupled with the amount of times he screamed at Bulma during the day, it was not unusual. Bulma's concerned face had flickered onto the large screen within the Gravity Room, even as Vegeta trained. He did a few aerial kicks and punches as he struggled to ignore her.

He couldn't say it was unpleasant to behold her face. She was quite possibly one of the most beautiful women he had ever met.

He admired how her blue tresses fell in wispy layers down her back, how her bangs sometimes fell over her eyes. He loved how finely sculpted her body was, even by Saiyan standards. He loved her milky complexion, how sometimes her bra straps would demurely make themselves visible underneath her off-shoulder shirts. But what got to him the most, was the way moonlight flooded her eyes, and how she would innocently glance at him through a heavy-lidded romantic gaze.

But right now, and whenever he trained, the last thing he needed was a female distraction. "Please Vegeta, you need to eat! You need to rest!", cried Bulma. She had tried her best to ignore the Saiyan for days, but she was at her limit. He had been training for at least a week with little to no respite.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!", was the only response he could muster. The woman had not gotten the point."If you don't come out on your own accord, then I swear I'm turning off the Gravity Room!"

Her last comment finally made him snap. He crushed the power button on the Gravity Room with his fist, and stomped out into Bulma's front yard. Without warning, he fired a ki blast straight into the roof of Capsule Corp., effectively slicing off its dome top. A minute or so later, Dr. Briefs stuck his head out through one of the building's many windows. He stared at the missing roof with interest. "That's quite an interesting architectural decision my boy. But I think I preferred it the way it was." With that, the old man disappeared back into the building. Vegeta stared at the open window, dumbfounded. He couldn't figure out if the old man was exceedingly crazy or just socially retarded. His thoughts were cut short by a glowering blue-haired figure striding towards him.

Bulma was enraged. She hadn't done anything to Vegeta to deserve this kind of treatment. More so, she had gone out of her way to take care of him. And this was her thank you? He had nearly destroyed her home with her inside of it! "What's your problem jerk-off?", she screamed, "I was trying to help you!" "Yet you succeeded in annoying me", replied Vegeta. He took a defensive stance, not at all liking the confrontational manner in which the woman was approaching him. This woman would soon have to learn her place. "Listen Vegeta, I really don't want anymore problems with you. Please, just come inside for a little while. Look at you, you're a mess." Vegeta twitched slightly, a hint of self-consciousness creeping down his back. What did she mean by "_you're a mess_"?

The Saiyan instinctively glanced down. Scars, bruises, and healed burns littered his finely sculpted torso. Years of difficult battles and torturous exercise regimes were made apparent through the rippling muscles. Yet, he was beginning to look slightly leaner...and tired. Hell, Vegeta felt tired. His stomach rumbled loudly, interrupting his thoughts. Bulma smiled at Vegeta's evident surprise. "Just like Goku", she mused. "Don't compare me to that third-rate garbage", warned Vegeta. Bulma rolled her eyes and took Vegeta's hand into her own. He was momentarily stunned.

"Come with me hon. Don't do this to yourself. Just take a day's rest", pleaded Bulma forcefully. There was something about the way she pleaded that drew Vegeta. She was genuinely concerned for his well-being. He snatched his hand away from her, causing her to wince in pain. "If I take this so-called "rest", I demand an upgrade to the Gravity Room". Bulma affirmed her compliance with a curt nod. Vegeta turned his back to her and strode back towards Capsule Corp wordlessly. As for Bulma, she'd take whatever she could get.

_Wait...take whatever I can get?_ The thought stopped her in her tracks. Since when was she so desperate for Vegeta's approval? Was she having feelings for him?..._No, no, no, no way!_ There was no way this was happening to her, and not with Vegeta of all people. Vegeta the psychopath! Vegeta who almost killed her and all her beloved friends! Vegeta who hardly spoke a word to her, and when he did, it was either to criticize her or make demands. Was she high? Yet, a very unmistakable emotion was slowly creeping it's way into her heart. Bulma smacked her own face forcefully, and turned tail to run away.

Vegeta, who was already at the entrance of Capsule Corp turned just in time to notice the bewildering sight of Bulma slapping herself and then running away. "What the hell?...", he said to himself. Was everyone in this infernal planet fucking insane?

Bulma raced down her enormous front lawn like a madman. THWACK! Once again, she slammed into what felt like a steel wall. This time her nose took the brunt of the accident. She looked up at a glaring Vegeta. "Is there a reason you first insist on interrupting my training session, and then run away like a lunatic?" "Oh Vegeta...my nose!", cried Bulma as streaks of blood began to run down her nose. Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise and concern. He had no idea of how fragile humans could be, or what the implications of such an injury could do to them. In reality though, Bulma cried for another reason altogether. She could barely look at Vegeta in the eyes. The pain was far more bearable than her racing thoughts and emotions.

Bulma let out a small "eep!" as Vegeta effortlessly picked up Bulma bridal style and quickly flew with her into the Capsule Corp Medical Bay. He sat her down on the steel medical table. "Let me see your face", demanded Vegeta. Bulma slowly complied by removing her hand from her face. Vegeta examined the wound intently. He had been in battle long enough to know a lot more than basic First Aid. Medical training was part of the Saiyan training regime. It could mean the difference between life and death for an injured Saiyan. Bulma had a slight nosebleed. "Woman, that's nothing more than an infant scratch. Are you really that pathetic?", he asked. Bulma scowled at Vegeta, a few tears still making their way down her face. "I didn't ask for your medical attention Vegeta. I'm fine", she responded angrily. Vegeta peered into her face closely, uncomfortably close. "Then why are you crying?", asked Vegeta calmly.

Maybe it was the way he had asked her so genuinely, or the way he looked at her so gently when he asked it, but Vegeta's straightforward question had caused a ferocious lump to rise in Bulma's throat...and then the bawling began. Tears streamed out of Bulma's eyes as she wailed - an outpouring of emotions, of realizations, of loss. She had been depressed for so long that a single question from the man she had grown to care for, was enough to send her into a dramatic overdrive. For all his hatefulness, his snobbery, his silent treatments, Vegeta was exactly what she wanted - what she needed. Underneath the tough Saiyan exterior, she could see a wounded man with a tortured past. She could see his genuine concern for those around him. She could see how hard he tried. And that's when the dreaded confessions began...

"I-I-I-I-", babbled Bulma, "I've missed Yamacha so much! He fucking cheated on me, and he dumped me, and then he flaunted his new girlfriends in front of me! And Goku left me for Chi Chi! Why couldn't he have just told her he wanted to be with me instead? Why was he so quick to forget me? And now I have to watch the two of them be so happy together with their baby boy! And I should be happy because Chi Chi's a beautiful person and Goku's my friend? I hate how I feel! What was I to them? To any of them? No one really cares about me! If I were to die tomorrow, no one would notice until they had something they needed me to fix! Not my mom, not my dad, not Krillin, Tien, Chaotzu, Piccolo - no one! I'm alone!", finished Bulma. She continued to bawl.

Vegeta gawked at her, unsure of what had just happened. What did he say? What brought upon this sudden tantrum. His anger spiked momentarily. But as he watched the small woman in front of him, her shoulders shuddering from heavy sobs, he suddenly remembered a similar situation with a certain Saiyan female. She too had cried like this in front of him, albeit for a different reason. And then Vegeta said it, the three simple sentences that would forever set Bulma's heart on fire: "You're wrong woman, I would notice. You're not alone. I'm here with you." And with that, Vegeta pulled Bulma into a crushing embrace, the scent of his minty body wash flooding her nose. _Just this once_, thought Vegeta, _no one will ever need to know_. The two of them stood there for what seemed like an hour, simply hugging. Bulma was absolutely stunned the entire time, her tears slowing to an absolute stop as comfort, surprise, relief, and happiness flooded her body. By the time Vegeta released her from his bear-like hold, it was dark outside. "Are you alright?", asked Vegeta as he looked down at her, his hands still on her shoulders. Bulma nodded as if in a daze, the tears having long-dried on her cheeks. "Get some sleep woman. I can feed myself", grunted Vegeta. With that, he left a very confused Bulma in the medical bay.

Bulma stood in the darkening room for awhile, thoughts racing through her head. _Did that really just happen?_ Her heart beat a mile a minute. She had to clutch her chest to calm herself. Vegeta's form flashed into her mind. Everything she liked about him flooded her thoughts. The handsome smirk he flashed at her sometimes, the fact that he ate everything she cooked no matter how badly made, the way he was always looking out for her both directly and indirectly, his handsome face, his perfect body, his minty scent, the way he simply just understood her without her having to say a single word, and then...a realization hit her with the force of a speeding truck! Bulma rushed over to the single window in the room and yanked open the curtains. The light of the full moon flooded into the room, filling Bulma's bright eyes and open heart. Not this again, she thought. But it was too late. She couldn't stop it. Bulma Briefs was undeniably, unequivocally, unquestionably in love with Vegeta.


	4. Starless Nights

A week had passed since Bulma's stunning realization. She was in love with Vegeta, and it was seeping through her pores, radiating throughout every fiber of her being. Of course, she said none of this to the object of her affections. _No, she couldn't do that_. Bulma had to ignore him and act normal. She knew it would just scare Vegeta away, or worse, shut him out from her entirely. Vegeta didn't seem like the type to want to be doted on.

And in reality, she was right. If there was one thing Vegeta didn't want right now, it was affection. He had gone through that before, and he knew its implications...and the suffering it caused. He would rather stay it alone. And if he ever did need to release any well, urges, he would just take a woman who he cared nothing for and vice-versa. Sex on this planet, he found, was quite easy to obtain. And for a Saiyan, it was like taking a walk in the park. Although, sometimes, at night when everyone was asleep, Vegeta would find himself dozing off to thoughts of Bulma - simple things like her smile...

This particular morning, Bulma, Vegeta, Bunny, and Dr. Briefs sat down for a rare family breakfast. Bulma hadn't seen either her Father or Vegeta for the past week. As soon as she saw Vegeta's handsome face, scowling at the table, Bulma's heart leapt with joy. _Oh girl, you've got it bad_. Luckily for her, Vegeta didn't notice.

"Woman, it's about time! When are you going to make my fucking breakfast? If you worked as often as you slept, then maybe you'd actually accomplish something for a change!", started Vegeta. Bulma shot him a death glare. Love or not, who the hell did he think he was talking to? "Well, if you learned to stop insulting me, then maybe I'd actually care about what you have to say."

"Dimwit."

"Asshole."

"Useless."

"Shit-faced."

"I'm glad to see you children are getting along so well", chirped in Dr. Briefs absentmindedly. Vegeta and Bulma cast him an, "are you serious?" look from across the table. Apparently he was. "And look", added Bunny, a wide-smile plastered on her face as she carried an enormous breakfast tray to the table, "I already made breakfast. So no worries Bulma!"

Bulma and Vegeta cast each other one final glare before stuffing their faces with croissants and tea. They ate in relative silence, Bunny and Dr. Briefs making the occasional small talk. As soon as breakfast was over, Vegeta stood up and left to train in the Gravity Room. Bulma frowned. If he left now, she probably wouldn't see him for yet another week.

Just as he reached the door, Bulma stood up and rushed over to him, effectively blocking his exit. "What is it now?", he growled. "I-I-I-", Bulma struggled to come up with a reason to keep him around, "I'm having a party!", she said finally. Vegeta stared at her blankly. "And?" "And I'd like you to come", replied Bulma. Vegeta stared at her for a moment, as if in deep thought. "No", he responded after a while. He pushed past Bulma and strode out into the Brief's massive front lawn, making his way towards the Gravity Room.

Bulma's mind raced. She was as much of a genius in technology as in manipulation. "Gee, that's a shame", she called out, "since Goku's coming over too. You probably could've tested out your weeks of training on him." Vegeta stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face Bulma. "Kakarrot is coming over?", he asked, the excitement of a potentially lethal fight pulsing through his veins. "Yeah, but you wouldn't be interested in anything like that", she replied. _I've got him now_. "I mean, you'd have to dress up and mingle, and-". Bulma was immediately silenced when Vegeta suddenly appeared inches away from her face. His super speed kept her on edge most of the time. "You'd better not be lying to me woman". "Why would I lie about something like that? Besides, what do you care? You just said you didn't want to come to the party", she taunted.

Vegeta glared at her, considering her offer. Bulma attempted to put on the straightest pokerface she could. She refused to let him read her true motives.

Finally, Vegeta caved, "I'll come to your "party" woman. But Kakarrot had better be there, and ready to fight." Bulma struggled to hide her delight. She gave Vegeta a curt nod and rushed back into Capsule Corp, running straight up to her room. As soon as she had locked the door to her room, Bulma threw herself onto her bed giggling, and hugging her a kitty-like stuffed animal. She was too damn excited. After a moment, Bulma stopped, reflecting on her actions. _Oh Kami, I'm acting like a fourteen year old girl who just got invited to a dance. _Bulma let out a deep sigh, releasing her strangle hold on the stuffed animal. She needed a cup of coffee...no wait, she needed to actually set up the party!

Bulma scrambled to a nearby telephonic device she had invented a couple of years back. It allowed her to make small holographic projections of all her phone calls. She had also upgraded it to allow it to make conference calls, so that if she ever needed to be at a meeting, it was almost as if she were in the room. The phone had the capacity to make independent decisions on her behalf. It was a nifty device, one that had yet to make its way onto the market, a market predominantly dominated by Capsule Corp's technological developments. She had named the phone, "Crusher", due to a lack of naming creativity. Either way, Bulma had made one for all of her closest friends, so they too could reap the benefits of her labor.

Bulma gently traced her finger along the touch screen of the device. A robotic voice chirped to life, "Good morning Dr. Briefs". "Good morning Crusher", responded Bulma. "Would you like to cross-project this call?", continued the machine. "Yes", replied Bulma. A larger screen projected in front of her, showing her the multitude of faces that composed her group of friends. Bulma gently tapped on the projected images hovering in mid-air, selecting everyone she wished to contact. "Goku & Chi Chi, Krillin, Tien & Chaotzu, Master Roshi, Oolong, Piccolo, Yamacha (and, grudgingly, his new girlfriend), etc...", she thought as she selected the faces. "Crusher", she said aloud, "tell everyone that I'm inviting them to a party tonight at Capsule Corp starting at 9 p.m. And if they refuse, tell them it's an early birthday present for me. Dress code is formal." "Yes Dr. Briefs", responded the machine. After finishing up Bulma tossed herself back onto her bed, a smile creeping its way across her face. Tonight should be fun, she thought as she allowed sleep to overtake her. She couldn't wait to see Vegeta all dressed up...

Bulma awoke with a start at 9:30 p.m. to the sound of knocking on the door. "Bulma", called out Bunny, "your friends are all here. They're waiting for you downstairs. You didn't tell me you were having a party honey." Bulma looked around dazily, and screeched at the sight of the clock blinking on her desk_. I fucking overslept! _Bulma literally fell off of her bed. She screeched again when she saw her bedraggled appearance in the mirror. Her shirt was stained with the morning's breakfast, she had absolutely no makeup on, which wouldn't have really been a problem considering her natural beauty, but she had planned to dress to impress. And her hair...Bulma didn't even want to look at the scrambled, unwashed mess, her hair was. To add to the problem, she had fallen asleep on top of a Crusher (her phone), and had marks along her face where the phone had left its impression.

"Bulma honey, are you okay?", cried out her mother. Bulma fought back tears. The night had already started out bad. And Vegeta! Was he already waiting down there? "I'm fine", called out Bulma, "Mom please-". "Don't worry honey", replied her mother, interrupting Bulma, "the caterers have already brought over the party platters. The waiters are down there serving everyone. It looks like a full-blown Gala. Just worry about yourself. It's a good thing Oolong called about an hour ago asking for directions. It gave us enough time to put something together." Bulma finally allowed herself to cry a little. She wanted to kiss her mother. It was amazing how that woman, although ditzy most of the time, could understand her daughter so well sometimes. "Mom, thank you!" cried Bulma, finally rushing into the shower. Bunny smiled to herself knowingly as she made her way back downstairs. She knew a lot more than she let on.

Bulma went through a lightning fast shower, makeup, and dressing session that took her all but fifteen minutes. By the time she was done, Bulma had smokey cat-eye makeup, a black just-above-the-knee length party dress that belled out at the waist, strappy high heels, and hair in loose romantic waves. She embellished her hair with a veiled brooch at the side. As soon as she perfumed herself up a bit, Bulma raced out of her room and down the stairs, where the party was already in full swing. Besides Goku and the gang, a lot of other people, people she and her friends had met over the years, were there too. Everyone was dressed to impress, making Bulma feel immediately self-conscious, forcing her to wonder if she could even catch Vegeta's eye with the amount of beautiful girls at the party. Maybe I should've just invited men.

Goku was actually wearing a fantastic suit, albeit he looked extremely uncomfortable in it. But he looked as handsome as ever. Little Gohan was wearing a suit similar to his father's, but he looked right at home in it. Someday that kid's going to be a knockout, thought Bulma to herself. Chi Chi looked absolutely gorgeous in a traditional Chinese dress, cut at the knee. Her jet black hair ran smoothly down her back, as her bangs lay gently above her beautifully made-up eyes. A small slit at the thigh left room for the imagination. Bulma wondered for a moment if Goku ever got jealous at the amount of men who checked Chi Chi out on a daily basis, but then Bulma remembered that Goku was Goku. Piccolo looked awfully strange in his suit. Not that it looked bad, but it just seemed unusual for him. Yamacha looked like, well Yamacha in a suit. His girlfriend, Miwako, was absolutely adorable. She seemed like the type of girl who would actually keep Yamacha at home. The thought dismayed Bulma slightly, but she allowed herself to let it go. Everyone else looked spectacular. Bulma suddenly wanted to back away into her room - wondering if this was a good idea after all.

And then her eyes found him. Leaning nonchalantly against the wall, in a spectacular all black Armani suit, stood Vegeta. Somehow, he had found a way to tame his unruly hair and made it look somewhat punked out. In short, he looked drop-dead gorgeous, and Bulma thought she would melt in a puddle right where she stood. A horde of girls surrounded him, as he kept his eyes closed attempting to block out their mindless chatter. He had noticed that a few of the girls were quite good looking. One in particular, a raven-haired beauty, had attracted his attention. She was pretty, fit, but above all, she was silent. Vegeta was seriously considering whether or not to take her to bed with him later tonight - she seemed more than willing to oblige - when suddenly, his more perverse thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Bulma at the foot of the spiral staircase.

In fact everyone seemed to stop what they were doing to look up at their beautiful hostess. Vegeta's breath hitched in his throat. Goku was stunned into silence. Every man in the room wanted her, and every girl in the room wanted to be her. Even the usually confident Chi Chi felt a twinge of jealousy as she watched Goku's look of admiration spread across his face The raven-haired girl, noticing Vegeta's changed expression, attempted to grab his attention by leaning in closer to him. Vegeta instinctively moved away, ignoring everyone else as his eyes settled on the beauty in front of him.

He really had never seen a woman more statuesque, more representative of beauty, than Bulma. Not even "_she_" could compete with her. Bulma's hair fell like soft blue silk as it streamed down her back. Her eyes sparkled under the dark glamorous eye make-up. Her skin glowed a soft pale color, a milky color. Vegeta imagined running his lips across it, wondering how far down that faint blush along her neckline ran. _It would be easy to take off that dress,_ he thought, _it had no shoulder straps. Just pull down the lace and-_

Vegeta shook his head forcing the thoughts from his mind. He couldn't. He had an actual emotional attachment to this woman, and if he slept with her, he would seriously complicate things. No, the raven-haired whore would do. If he was horny, she would be more than enough. A soft growl escaped his lips when he looked around and noticed the surrounding men gawking at Bulma. _What the hell were they looking at? _In that instant, Vegeta wanted to rip off the heads of every single man in the room. His instinctive Saiyan urge to protect his own began to rise. Most of the weaklings in the room couldn't sense it, but Goku immediately did, and he turned to look at Vegeta, casting him a warning glance.

"Are you alright there Vegeta?", asked Goku firmly. The question snapped Vegeta out of his murderous trance. "Are you my doctor now Kakarrot?", snarled Vegeta. He suddenly didn't want to look at the other Saiyan anymore. He didn't even feel like fighting tonight, and he certainly didn't feel like being in the same room as all those commonplace idiots. More pointedly, however, his growing erection was about to make itself very visible underneath his pants. Instead, Vegeta grabbed the raven-haired girl by the arm and led her straight out of the building. Bulma was left with an expression of discomfort and surprise. She wasn't exactly sure about what had happened. One minute Vegeta had stared at her like he was seeing her for the first time, then he looked pissed, and then he had practically run out of the building with some hot chick in tow. Had she done something wrong? Was he mad at her because she was late?

Unable to control herself any further, Bulma quickly ran past the questioning gaze of her friends and party guests. Goku watched Bulma as she ran out onto her front lawn. Although it was most everyone's guess as to what she was after, Goku knew she was running after Vegeta. The purple-haired young man from the future had indeed presented himself as Trunks, the son of Vegeta and Bulma. He had said they would eventually get together. He had asked for Goku's secrecy on the matter, and of course, Goku would comply. But that didn't mean he wasn't slightly jealous. He loved Chi Chi with a passion. But Bulma was his best friend, his confidant, and unbeknown to most, his first love. If he hadn't made that promise to Chi Chi, he probably would have mated with Bulma. Goku glanced over at his wife and his son, both with quizzical expressions on their faces, and he knew he had made the right decision. This was the family he was meant to have, that he was happy to have. He only hoped that Bulma could find her happiness, even if it was with cranky Vegeta. Goku hugged his wife and son, proud to have them both by his side.

Outside, Bulma had taken off her heels upon coming into contact with wet grass. She raced towards the back of the complex, unsure of which way Vegeta and the girl had headed. The sound of thunder warned Bulma of impending rain, and true to form, water began to pour from the sky a minute or so later. She ignored the fact that her dress and hair were entirely drenched as she continued in hot pursuit of her intended target. He wasn't in the backyard or in the Gravity Room. Bulma looked around desperately. Had he really left with the girl? As she ran back, intending to take cover under a nearby willow tree and clear her thoughts, Bulma stopped dead in her tracks.

There under the heavy draping branches of her favorite willow tree was Vegeta and that girl...making passionate love against the bark of the tree. The girl's dress was discreetly lifted at the skirt, one leg hoisted above Vegeta's waist, her mouth next to his face as she gasped and panted into his ear. Vegeta's eyes stared directly into the brunette's, his brow seemingly focused on what he was doing, his lips ever so slightly parted as he repeatedly thrust into the girl. _Sort of like he's training_, mused Bulma dizzily. Her world was spinning. She could not muster the strength to be angry, sad, or anything at all. She simply watched as the man she loved made love to another woman. A few minutes passed by, and finally, Bulma walked away wearily, unable to watch the scene unfolding before her any longer.

That night she took the back stairs to her own room. Despite her mother's persistent pleas, Bulma never went back down to the party. She took her beautiful dress and threw in the garbage can, refusing to ever look at it again. Vegeta never did notice her presence that evening, a true testament to how much he actually cared for her_. Why did he even pretend? _Bulma buried her face into her pillow for hours, listening to the electronic doors whirring open and shut as the partygoers trickled out little by little. Finally, silence. She had no idea what ended up transpiring between Vegeta and that girl for the rest of that night. Frankly, she didn't want to know either.

An hour after everyone seemed to have left, Bulma walked over to her window. She drew open the curtains the same way she had a week ago, and searched into the night sky for a shooting star to wish upon. But the night remained starless, under the city lights and the brooding light of the moon.


	5. Seeing Red

It had been more than a month since that fateful party night, and the dewy showers of April were beginning to make way for the fertility of Spring and its menagerie of flowers. It was impossible for anyone to be in a bad mood as the days provided a gentle, but not uncomfortable, warmth. Tien, Chaotzu, and Piccolo had, for some reason, decided to leave with Yajirobe to the mountains, to train for the remainder of Spring and Summer. Goku and Yamacha had almost wanted to take them up on the appealing offer, but decided not to in lieu of how their women might feel. The Spring gave the couples an opportunity to partake in family fun. Krillin just decided to accompany Master Roshi, both of them indulging in perverted sight-seeing at the beach.

In fact, the only person who was left unhappy was Bulma. After the party, she did everything humanly possible to avoid coming into contact with Vegeta. She instructed her mother to prepare and give him all his meals separately. She never went downstairs or outside when she thought he might be present. She tried to do everything that needed to be done whenever he was asleep or in one of his week-long training sessions. Bulma had also adopted the habit or unfurling a rope ladder from her bedroom balcony, rather than using the front door. By doing this, she avoided any and all contact with the Saiyan.

Her friends attempted to make repeated phone calls, but she answered none, eventually deactivating 'Crusher' altogether. Most everyone was beginning to get worried about Bulma's absolute avoidance. Bulma, on the other hand, simply wanted to be left alone. Only her parents seemed to understand her. If a Briefs didn't want to be found, he or she would go to great lengths to keep out of sight. So, Bunny and Dr. Briefs simply pretended not to notice Bulma's absence and went along with their lives as always.

One other person, however, did not fail to notice Bulma's sudden change of attitude. Vegeta was becoming suspicious of Bulma's month-long disappearance. And when the second month was drawing to a close, Vegeta finally snapped. As he waited at the breakfast table, Bunny arrived with an enormous stack of pancakes. "Good morning Vegeta", she chirped, "Hope you have a big appetite today. I made pancakes!" Vegeta glowered at the woman. "Where's the woman?" "What do you mean silly?", asked Bunny. "Don't give me that! I tire of this little game you've all decided to play with me! Where is the blue-haired wench?", roared Vegeta. This was really beginning to piss him off. A couple of months ago the woman couldn't keep away from him, and now she was nowhere in sight.

"Well...she's around Vegeta. I wish I could tell you exactly where she is right now, but she leaves before most of us wake up", replied Bunny. She was telling the truth, but it was hardly enough to satisfy Vegeta. Vegeta slammed his hands onto breakfast table, shattering the delicate china on the tabletop. He stood up and literally flew through the ceiling of the complex, creating a Saiyan sized hole through each floor, before finally reaching Bulma's room on the third floor.

At the time, Bulma had the ironically chosen not to leave early, instead opting for a warm bath. She was relaxing in the tub, in all her naked glory, when Vegeta suddenly burst in through the floor of her bathroom. Bulma let out a death scream upon seeing Vegeta hovering above her, gawking down at her. "WHAT THE FUCK VEGETA? GET OUT!" Bulma tossed everything she could find at him - her shampoo, her soap, her toothpaste, her tampons even. When he finally realized his mistake and dropped down to the floor below, Bulma ran out of her bathroom, careful to avoid falling into the hole he had created, and threw herself into her walk-in closet. Once in there she calmed down, dried, and quickly dressed herself.

Vegeta waited on the floor beneath, pacing back and forth. For once, he felt like he may have overstepped his bounds. He was debating feelings of excitement over having seen the woman nude, and regret over what was to come next. The woman could scream like a damn banshee, and he began to wonder if it was some sort of innate human ability, something similar to a ki blast... His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the death glare of the woman a floor above him. Bulma was none to happy about seeing Vegeta, and she was absolutely appalled by the gall he had exhibited when bursting in through her most private room of all. "How dare you?", she started, "Who do you think you are? This is MY house Vegeta! My house! I'm sick and tired of having to sneak around in my own house just to avoid you!" It was all the confirmation Vegeta needed to hear. She was _in fact_ intentionally avoiding him. The question now was "why?".

Vegeta quickly flew up to stand face-to-face with Bulma. She backed up apprehensively. Vegeta scented the air around her. He smelled fear, anger, betrayal... "Are you going to tell me why you've been crawling around like a cockroach for these past two months? Do I bite?", he chided. _Oh Kami_, thought Bulma as she felt a very familiar lump in her throat rising. She was extremely sensitive right now, and Vegeta's taunting wasn't helping. She had sworn to never again cry in front of him, but she wasn't so sure she could keep that promise anymore. "Get out", she gurgled. She began to swallow repeatedly, hoping it would hold back the impending flood of tears. Vegeta, on the other hand, could already smell the oncoming flood. He only wondered why she refused to cry in front of him like she always had. "What's the problem woman? Trying not to be a cry baby?"

It was all too much for Bulma to take. She had to find an escape route, but she knew Vegeta could easily block each one. So instead she opted for a more offensive course of action. "Cry baby, huh? Funny, if I recall, the one who was bawling like a baby on Namek was you. What was your complaint again, _oh yes _I remember now, because you were sad about being Frieza's little bitch!" Vegeta was momentarily stunned into silence as he processed her words. _Good, I want him to hate me like I hate him_. "It's too bad, maybe if you had been more of a man, you might've been able to save your home planet! Or was every other Saiyan as worthless as the Pussy-oops I mean, the Prince of all Saiyans?", finished Bulma. Now she had gone way too far. And Vegeta saw red.

In the matter of an instant, Bulma felt her body slam face-down onto her bedroom floor with such force that she swore she must've broken a few ribs. In reality, however, Vegeta hadn't even touched Bulma. He had controlled his rage long enough to slam his fists through the floor surrounding Bulma. But he had done it with such force, that Bulma had suffered its aftershock. "If ever there was a time that I believed humans had any value, then your disgusting words just disproved it all you filthy whore!", roared Vegeta. Bulma was still too stunned by the blow to talk. The crumbling floor around her made her extremely uneasy. Vegeta glared at Bulma, and for the first time, Bulma could see hate in his eyes. Hate towards her, that is. And for the first time in two months Bulma felt her heart reshatter. Until now, Vegeta had at least maintained his feelings towards Bulma. After all, he had no idea she had been watching his rendezvous with the brunette that fateful evening.

But now, Bulma could feel that it was all over. It was actually, really over between the two of them. A love that would never fully blossom. And in part, she was to blame. Perhaps she had expected too much from Vegeta too soon? I mean, she knew nothing of his past, or how painful it must've been... _No!_ This is what she wanted! She had suffered this defeat one too many times to continue fighting for something that she knew had no victory in sight. Yamacha had left her, Goku had too, and now Vegeta would do the same. She was destined for a life of loss and unhappiness. The one thing she would've used all the dragonballs to wish upon, a man who would love her in the way no one else did, would never find its way into reality.

Bulma lifted herself up painfully, her eye swollen and lip cracked, to stare directly into Vegeta's eyes. For a moment, Vegeta hesitated. _What was that look in her eyes? Sorrow, loss, regret?..._ Bulma let out a deep breath, finally able to muster the self-control to do what she knew needed to be done. "If you're so interested in becoming a Super Saiyan", she began, "then I doubt you'll find what you need here. Do I look like a sparring partner to you? An android? A Saiyan? Some brunette at a party? No? Then what the fuck are you still doing in MY house? I didn't invite you to stay here forever. And I want you out of my life forever, NOW!" It was all Vegeta needed to hear_. She should be so lucky to actually give him a reason to stay after all the hurtful venom she had spewed. _

And that's when he did it. He gave Bulma a cold, emotionless stare, turned around and flew off into the sky. Bulma stared blankly into space, long after Vegeta had left. He hadn't growled, glared, roared, or taunted her. He showed her the worst thing he could've possibly shown her, a lack of feeling towards her at all. She was dead to him. She would probably never see him again, but if she did, he would no longer acknowledge her. Bulma finally allowed herself to weep. She wept for about an hour before her father and mother finally made their way up to her room. It was almost as if they just realized their may have been an altercation in the household.

"Bulma dear!", cried Bunny upon seeing Bulma's prostrate and injured form. She ran to help her up from the floor. Dr. Briefs stared from the enormous hole in the floor to the ceiling, and back to the floor again. "Bulma, how much weight did you distribute across your body in order to create an impact this powerful on the floor? This is the perfect measurement for an experiment I wanted to try", he concluded. Bulma stared at him wistfully. "Dad, its a three floor impact. Do you really think I intentionally added weights to my body, to make a hole in my bedroom floor?" "I would do it", responded Dr. Briefs. Bunny gave Dr. Briefs a wide smile. Bulma sighed heavily. It was proving to be a more than difficult year.


	6. Intervention

_Author's Note_: I just want to give a big thank you to everyone who submitted reviews. It gives me a reason to keep writing this story. I'll update again very soon! Enjoy. :)

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A month had passed since Vegeta's abrupt disappearance. And there wasn't a day that didn't go by that Bulma didn't think about or cry over him. _Where was he? How was he doing? Was he eating well? Was he happy? _She had to constantly shake the thoughts infiltrating her mind, reminding herself that Vegeta was no longer a part of her life. He had to find his own way, a way that didn't involve her. She began to distract herself by working tirelessly day and night alongside Dr. Briefs. The two would lock themselves up in their respective labs for hours, sometimes interchanging ideas. So much so was Bulma's retirement from common society, that by the month's end, Goku and the gang had gathered at Kame house to host a group meeting on staging an intervention for Bulma.

Yamacha, Miwako, Dende, Krillin, Tien, Chaotzu, Yajirobe, and even Piccolo (albeit grudgingly), showed up to at the house to meet up with Roshi, Oolong, Goku, Chi Chi, and Gohan. Once everyone had settled in, and all the initial play fighting had settled down, Krillin took on the role of the group moderator.

He cleared his throat and began, "Well everyone, as you all might know-". Krillin was abruptly interrupted when a spitball was sent his way, courtesy of Oolong. When Krillin glared at him, Oolong immediately pointed a finger at Goku. "I did not!", whined Goku. "People, people", warned Yamacha raising his hands up to silence everyone, "we're here to help Bulma. Remember?" Everyone immediately settled down. "Essentially", continued Krillin, "We need to find out what's wrong with Bulma, why she's avoiding everyone, and what we can do to get her back to her old self." "Doesn't anyone think it might have something to do with Vegeta? I mean he _is_ living in her house", pointed out Chi Chi. "Yeah, maybe it wasn't a good idea to have left those two all alone under the same roof", continued Yamacha. "Well, Dr. Briefs and his wife are there too", chipped in Tien. "It's essentially the same thing as being alone", countered Yamacha. "Point taken", replied Tien.

Goku remained silent, not wanting to implicate Trunks in any form or way. He also didn't want to have to admit that Vegeta and Bulma might actually be having "relationship" problems to the rest of the group. Unbeknownst to anyone, Goku had allowed his curiosity to get the best of him the night of Bulma's party. After she had left to follow Vegeta, Goku excused himself with his wife and followed his blue-haired friend outside. He stood at a distance watching her as she stopped directly in front of the old willow tree behind her house. She, Goku, and the rest of the gang had spent many a summer enjoying picnics under the shade of that beautiful tree. That evening, Goku remembered seeing Bulma turn a shade paler. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. Following her line of sight, Goku's eyes fell upon Vegeta who was, essentially...mating with another woman. He looked away ashamedly, focusing instead on Bulma. She looked devastated, and he had wanted to comfort her, but thought it best that he didn't interfere - lest it should affect Trunk's future birth. At the very least, Goku knew they definitely wouldn't be having anymore picnics under that tree. Not that he'd want to anymore either.

"No that can't be it", stated Oolong matter-of-factedly, "Vegeta hasn't been living with Bulma for about a month now." Everyone turned to stare at the loud-mouthed pig. "Excuse me?", asked Krillin, "exactly how did you come across this critical information?" "Well, I called Mrs. Briefs to see if she could give me a cookie recipe a couple of days ago, and we made small talk." "During which time, she told you that Vegeta, the murderous, rampaging, Saiyan overlord is nowhere to be found?", seethed Yamacha. "Uhh...yes?", said Oolong uncertainly. "Idiot...", muttered nearly everyone under their breath. "Okay, well that settles it then, we have to go see Bulma about this personally. We have to find Vegeta before he destroys someone's planet or worse - he tries to kill us", said Tien. "I agree!", chirped in Yajirobe. The brawny man was quaking in his sandals over thoughts of Vegeta.

Everyone else, except for Goku expressed concern over the matter. "Settle down guys. I think we may be overreacting here a little bit. Sure Vegeta isn't exactly trustworthy, and yes, he did try to kill us, and no, he hasn't shown a single semblance of self-control ever since, and yes, he's mean and rude and-" "Will you get to the damn point?", bellowed Piccolo. "Okay the point is", replied Goku, "that Bulma definitely has it under control. If she hasn't told us anything up to this point, it's probably because she has some sort of plan figured out and she just needs her space. Let's just wait and see what happens. I mean, no one's dead yet, right?" Seeing that his final point brought no comfort to anyone Goku continued, "all I'm saying is we should focus on our own training instead of sticking our noses in someone else's business. Bulma is the smartest person I know. Vegeta has his own interests. Let's take every precaution that we can, and continue as we were." The fact that Goku was probably right, left most everyone with an unsettling feeling in their stomach. As the day progressed, however, thoughts of Vegeta and Bulma were pushed to the back of their minds and life continued on as playfully as always.

**XXXX**

Somewhere off in space, Vegeta sat quietly on the rocky surface of a barren planet. He was taking a rest after two straight weeks of training. Every muscle in his body ached, and his stomach was flaring up in pain over the lack of food. He thought of Bulma's food, and the cheeky grin she had always met him with when feeding him-_No_! He wouldn't think of that dreadful woman! She had wounded his pride where it hurt the most - his vulnerability and his family. He could think of neither without wanting to kill himself. He had wanted to rid himself of _that_ pain by living with the woman, but when she made it a point to remind him of all his demons, he knew he could no longer stay. Instead he found a far off planet to train on. He needed to be a Super Saiyan no matter what, but the amount of self-control he needed to generate such a state eluded him. _How did Kakarrot do it? _

Vegeta rammed his fist into the ground in frustration creating a small crater in the terrain. His mind flashed back to a time when a particular Saiyan girl pleaded with him to stop such self-destructive behavior. She had taken his fist into her own hand and gently kissed it. His stomach churned with emotions as the time. Now all that was left was the bitterness of loss. Vegeta stared at his freshly injured fist, for once allowing his mind to wander to thoughts of her, to thoughts of his deceased mate...Apple.


	7. Unhappy Endings: Part I

Author's Note: Hi everyone. Once again, thanks for all the reviews. I just want to let everyone know that these next two chapters delve into Vegeta's past with his former mate. Don't worry, they won't go any further than that, and they are completely relevant to future chapters. So, enjoy and let me know what you think.:)

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**Five years before the destruction of Planet Vegeta...**

Vegeta stared out the window of his father's throne room. Below, soldiers were practicing their military drills. There was a whole lot of shouting, and a whole lot of powering up, enough entertainment for Vegeta for the next two hours. His father was still doing dealings with the fucking infernal lizard - although why he didn't know, and he hadn't wanted Vegeta to come with him. Vegeta couldn't explain to himself why the Saiyans were being forced to make dealings with the pathetic excuse for a creature known as Frieza. Any seasoned Saiyan soldier could easily rip off the lizards head, at least he thought so anyway...

Frieza had taken his place at the head of Planet Vegeta's heirarchy since his invasion three years ago. And now his demands on Planet vegeta's natives were becoming unbearable. It was no longer uncommon to have Frieza demand a Saiyan warrior's mate as his own. These spontaneous kidnappings never transpired without a fight between both parties, but each time, it was the Saiyan who lost. Frieza's harem of some of Planet Vegeta's most beautiful and coveted women had grown to about 800. Fathers and mothers were taking great lengths to hide any daughter that showed traces of exceptional beauty, and on the Saiyan planet that meant almost everyone.

From what Vegeta heard, many of these women were just used as Freiza's maids and servants, providing him with a moment's worth of pleasure and then recycled like garbage. Vegeta growled at the thought. One of his own sisters, Olivez, was now under the watchful eye of her mother after having accidentally crossed paths with Frieza. Frieza had exhibited a more than sinister look on his face upon seeing her. She was beautiful after all. Despite the looming threat, King Vegeta couldn't fathom the idea of having one of his own offspring taken into slavery. Frieza had never touched the royal lineage - for if he did, there would most certainly be a planetary revolt. The Vegeta lineage was sacred to all Saiyans, more sacred then their own lives.

So on this particularly boring afternoon, where Vegeta could do nothing except wait for his father's return, his youngest sister Brocolz, approached him with a playful expression on her face. Vegeta glared at her slightly. The warning was clear, he was in no mood for games. Brocolz, being only eleven years old, did not yet understand all the workings of the Saiyan culture, and persisted in badgering her brother. "Ni-san, come to play with me. Papa said you would", she whined. "Father said that? Really?", stated Vegeta in a disbelieving voice. Brocolz visibly reconsidered her statement. "Well, he didn't say that exactly", she started, "but you could always do it anyway!" Vegeta rolled his eyes. The girl would someday understand that Saiyan women were not allowed to approach Saiyan men if they did not wish to be approached. But for now, considered Vegeta, she was simply a child, and her admiration towards her older brother, endeared her to him. "If I spar with you will you go away for a long time after that", asked Vegeta. Brocolz thought about it for a moment before finally agreeing with an adamant nod. Vegeta sighed and flew out of the window, his younger sister following close behind. It seemed he would not be relaxing today.

As he flew towards his destination, an empty open field situated in a forest a few miles away from the Saiyan mega-city, he looked down at his home planet. Everything there, from the buildings to the food centers (very large centers meant to support a planet full of hungry Saiyans), was structured to either facilitate fighting or to withstand heavy fighting. Saiyans were all about war and power displays. Men and women fought in the corridors of hospitals, during family gatherings, in the classrooms, etc. Everything was about fighting.

In fact, classes on Planet Vegeta were established to teach younger Saiyans more about the art of fighting than anything else. Math was for calculating power levels, Science was for understanding the physiology of one's opponents, health was for self-healing during battle, Reading & language was for obtaining the capacity to understand even more fighting manuals, & P.E...well that took up about half of every school day. The arts were allowed for the weaker Saiyans - it was a social stigma. And all they did, as far as Vegeta was concerned, was design Saiyan battle armor. He grimaced at the thought of those artsy types. What was the planet coming to?

Vegeta's thoughts were quickly interrupted by a the cooing and hollering of a nearby group of Saiyan females. The skies were full today as Saiyans flew past, going about in their daily businesses. Vegeta blushed slightly as the girls cat-called after him. It was not unusual for a Saiyan as handsome and vigorous as Vegeta to attract the attention of Saiyan females, but he could never get used to it. During his final year of schooling, Vegeta had more mating proposals than he could handle, and quite frankly, he preferred the stress of battle to the stress of competing females. _Well...he wasn't a Saint_. He had slept with a few of them, but he hated how women would get so possessive after sex. They knew damn well there was a difference between sex and mating.

Vegeta quickly flew past the girls, his younger sister taunting him the rest of the way. Once they reached the forest, the began to thin out, until it was just the two siblings. Vegeta touched down onto the open field moments later. He was glad to be away from all the noise.

"Yay ni-san! Let's spar", chirped Brocolz. She took an open palm fighting stance before him. Vegeta smirked. It was their father's preferred training stance. _This girl has a good future ahead of her_, mused Vegeta as he began to power up. Finally, once the two had their energy levels at a reasonable limit, the fight began. Every blow and kick that Brocolz threw was easily blocked and countered by Vegeta. They fought for what seemed like an hour with Vegeta finally ending it by punching his sister in the gut. The low-level blow knocked Brocolz into a tree. There she finally remained unconscious and fell asleep. Vegeta never used any real power when fighting with his sister. He smirked as he watched his little sister sleep. She had adorably large cheeks.

Vegeta took a seat on the grassy field, staring up at the sky. He really hated how Frieza had altered the Saiyan spirit. How long had it been since they gone out, as a race, to conquer a planet just for the sake of conquering? All of his father's war campaigns had been put on hold in order to appease Frieza's desire to obtain more planets. Everything that Vegeta had worked for in his youth - for the glory of the kingdom - all of it was thrown away thanks to Frieza. Vegeta's brooding session, however, was cut short by a soft-spoken feminine voice.

"May I offer her some first aid brother?", questioned the voice in a near-whisper. Vegeta immediately whipped around to come face to face with the most beautiful Saiyan, nay, the most beautiful female in the universe he had ever laid eyes upon. She was slightly shorter than Vegeta, and had raven hair that fell straight down to her waist. Her bangs were cut bluntly above a pair of sea blue eyes. Vegeta felt as though he could swim in her eyes. Her lips were pink, pouty, and full, and her skin was of an almost porcelain consistency. She held no flaws. Vegeta's eyes scanned her body. She was slender, a beautiful body that lacked all the muscles and roughness most every Saiyan female had, but had all the elegance and grace necessary to set a man's loins on fire. In fact, Vegeta was feeling just a bit too giddy in his nether regions at the moment, and quickly had to wrap his tail around one of his thighs to hide it.

The girl wore an elegant kimono that fell to the floor. Her Saiyan tail was neatly wrapped around her waist. Vegeta noted that she had a small bow at the end of it. _Cute_.

"May I?", persisted the girl, pointing towards Vegeta's little sister. Vegeta responded with a grunt, wondering that if he spoke too loudly the girl might actually shatter. Vegeta quickly turned his back to the girl, as she began to treat his sister's battle wounds while she slept. He glanced over his shoulder occasionally to see what was happening. He was fascinated by the delicate and careful way in which the female treated the younger Saiyan. It was almost ceremonious. As soon as she had finished, the girl turned to Vegeta. She gestured towards his own wounds. "May I?", she asked. Vegeta grunted again in the affirmative. The cleaned and dressed his wounds carefully, folding her cleaning cloth every single time she dabbed it on his skin. The pain from Vegeta's cuts subsided almost immediately.

"What's your name woman?", asked Vegeta, albeit a less rough than usual. The girl chuckled softly. "My name is Apple, daughter of the female Chezry and the Saiyan lord Scallon the 5th. My father is a soldier in his Majesty's army. And you my fellow brother? ", finished the girl. Vegeta watched as her shoulders quivered slightly whenever she spoke. Vegeta straightened his back to speak. "I am Vegeta, Prince and son to King Vegeta and the female Queen Chofee." The girl gasped slightly in realization. She immediately bowed before the man in front of her. "Forgive me your majesty", she cried, "for having had the audacity to make myself visible in your presence." Vegeta suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. A girl like her should never have to bow to anyone - royal or otherwise.

Vegeta instinctively put his hand below her chin, gently lifting up her face to his. "You have pleased me Apple, daughter of the female Chezry and the Saiyan Lord Scallon the 5th. You needn't bow to me." Apple's eyes filled with water, as the tears began to tumble down her cheeks. "Thank you your majesty", she cried. Vegeta was frozen in place as he watched the girl cry. The only experience he had ever had with a crying girl was his little sister. So he did the only thing he could thing of doing, he pulled Apple into a crushing embrace. Apple gasped slightly against his chest, her tears nearly coming to a halt altogether. "Don't cry", said Vegeta gently, "nothing bad will come to you. I'll make sure of it." What might have possessed him to say such a thing was beyond Vegeta's knowledge. But he did, and that was how it all began.

From that day forward, Apple and Vegeta became inseparable. She would visit him at the palace, quickly winning over the hearts of his sisters and mother with her gentle disposition. In turn, he would visit her at her own home, easily winning the approval of her mother and father. He was the Prince of all Saiyans after all. The final barrier to their growing love, King Vegeta himself, found himself enchanted with the girl almost immediately. He was quite proud of his son's individual selection. Vegeta was the envy of every Saiyan man, and Apple was the envy of every Saiyan female. They were the most attractive couple anyone had ever seen. Between themselves, however, Apple and Vegeta shared an even deeper bond. Vegeta was surprised to learn that Apple, despite her fragile appearance, could indeed fight well. They would spar for hours on end, eventually ending their long days by taking refuge in each others arms - talking about their hopes, dreams, and fears for hours after. Apple never raised her voice against Vegeta. She never questioned his judgment. They were best friends, confidants, soul mates...and most everyone was counting down the days before they became a mated pair.

To become a mated pair on Planet Vegeta was a serious thing. For most, it was even more serious than death. It meant an eternal bond into the afterlife. The only way a pair could be legally separated was if one partner irreconcilably betrayed another's trust. The bite marks that had been used to bond the pair would be ripped off the traitor by his or her former mate. This would symbolize the end of their union, and it was a devastating thing. So devastating was this act, that only two Saiyans in the history of Planet Vegeta ever underwent such a procedure. In both cases, the betrayal had led to someone's death.

One lazy afternoon, Vegeta headed back into the palace after having finished up a training session with some of his father's soldiers. Apple greeted him at the door in her usual gentle manner. Together, they flew back to the field where they had met two years ago. They planned to spend the day there, resting. Apple looked particularly beautiful that day in billowy blue floor length gown made of a thin fabric, native to Planet Vegeta. Vegeta couldn't place it, but despite being able to see the outline of her nipples underneath the gown, it was extremely tasteful. she looked elegant and romantic. Vegeta glanced down at a steel necklace of Planet Vegeta's emblem emebelleshing her neckline. Her chest looked good enough to eat off of. Vegeta immediately averted his gaze to Apple's eyes. Until they were a mated pair, Vegeta refused to consummate his relationship with her. She wasn't just some whore from down the block. She was a princess - his princess.

Once they landed in the solitary field, Apple looked at him. He wondered sometimes if she could read his thoughts. "What's that?", she asked. "What?", questioned Vegeta. "On your finger?", Apple persisted. Vegeta looked down at his hand, finally noticing the small cut that ran down his finger. A tiny stream of blood trickled down. "Let me see it", continued Apple. She gently took Vegeta's hand into her own. Vegeta noted its softness. He loved how soft she was. Apple examined the cut for a moment before lifting his finger to her mouth and suckling on the cut.

Vegeta stared at her. He seemed to focus intently on her face, when in reality, his heart was hammering in his chest. _This woman would be the death of him_. Apple finally looked back up at Vegeta. There was something different in her usually gentle gaze. _What was it? Vegeta scented the air. Passion, desire, excitement..._

Vegeta pulled Apple into his arms and kissed her. The kiss soon became more heated and passionate than initially planned. They stumbled to the grass, Vegeta making sure to land gently on top of her. He hoisted himself up onto his elbows. His hair fell over his eyes as he gazed down at her through lust-hazed eyes. "What are you thinking?", he asked huskily. He seemed to have lost control of his voice. Apple looked absolutely beautiful with her dark hair pooled around her as she responded gently, "I think its time." Vegeta needed no further invitation. The pair quickly peeled off each other's clothes, the only thing separating the two.

Vegeta rewarded Apple with gentle kisses down from the nape of her neck, all the way to the base of her abdomen and back up again. Apple giggled giddily the entire time. Once he had worked his way back up to her neck, Vegeta pulled back and stared into her face. He could honestly say, for the first time in his entire life, that he was in love. Apple was his world, his life, his reason to fight, his pride. Apple smiled back at him. "Mate me my love", she whispered. With that, Vegeta entered her womanhood as gently as possible, making sure not to hurt her unnecessarily. Apple shed a few tears, wincing only slightly. After a few cautious thrusts, Vegeta quickened his pace. The two panted and gasped in unison, both reveling in each other's company. Vegeta committed the delicious feeling of her to memory, never wanting to forget the moment. After a while, Apple's blushing cheeks began to heat up. "Ah - ahh - aaahhhh - Vegeta, something's coming!", she cried as she felt the impending orgasm slowly accelerate. Vegeta too felt the oncoming release. The couple buried their faces into each others shoulders as their respective orgasms washed over them. The two bit hard into each others shoulder, effectively marking each other permanently as mates.

A few minutes after coming down from their high, the two collapsed into each others embrace. Apple was the first to speak. "Your shoulder is bleeding", she noted. Vegeta laughed. Only Apple could ever make him laugh. "Let it bleed. Your cute little teeth can't really hurt me woman." Apple puffed up her cheeks, feigning offense, "My teeth are just as powerful as any other Saiyan's!" Vegeta kissed her gently. This was truly meant to be.

A couple of hours later, the couple was greeted with absolute joy back at the palace. The revealing bite marks said it all. Vegeta and Apple were a mated pair. Vegeta's mother, despite his and Apple's protestation, threw a spontaneous party to celebrate the union of the two families. His mother had raved on and on the whole night over her excitement and future heirs. Vegeta had offered his mother a very uncomfortable look in response. He hated social gatherings, but he was easily comforted by Apple's reassuring grip on his hand. For once, Vegeta had someone he could truly count on.

And that's how two years of absolute bliss went by. Vegeta's strength seemed to have greatly increased with Apple by his side. For the first time, in a long time, he had hope for the Planet Vegeta and for the future. She gave him hope. Until it happened...


	8. Unhappy Endings: Part II

Author's Note: This chapter will conclude the "Unhappy Ending" saga, and resume the original timeline. Enjoy! I'll update soon.

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Vegeta and Apple had lived in peace up until this point. The threat of Frieza had never reached their doorstep thanks to Vegeta's royal lineage. But a bitter cold morning, would soon prove to them that no one was safe from Frieza's all consuming hatred. Vegeta awoke to a loud knocking on his and Apple's chambers.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?", bellowed Vegeta as he finally stood up, no longer able to ignore the persistent noise. Apple stirred awake sleepily. "Who is that Vegeta?", she called out gently. As soon as Vegeta had opened the door, eight pairs of arms had forcefully latched themselves to Vegeta.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?", he roared. Vegeta immediately revolted, practically pushing back all eight seasoned Saiyan warriors in one fell swoop. But he was immediately silenced by an electro-collar placed around his neck. The shooting pain brought him to his knees. It was Frieza's most notorious enslavement device, the ones he used on every soldier he enlisted into his personal army. Apple immediately shrieked in surprise. "Vegeta! What are you doing to him? Who do you think he is? Vegeta!" Two other Saiyan soldiers held back Apple as they literally had to drag Vegeta away (despite the electro-collar). Vegeta mustered the strength for one final reply before disappearing entirely from Apple's sight: "Don't worry! I will keep you safe! I will come back for you!"

Another sharp shock from the collar left Vegeta momentarily stunned, long enough to allow the soldiers time to toss him into a ship carrying other newly enslaved Saiyan warriors. King Vegeta stared wistfully out of his throne room window, his fists clenched so tight that blood dripped down them. For once, he was absolutely powerless to stop the scene unfolding before him...his own son...

Vegeta sat seething in silence, everyone in the darkened passenger ship did, as they headed towards an unspecified location. Thoughts of Apple flashed through Vegeta's mind. Hopefully, his father would be able to keep her safe until he found a way out of this worsening situation. Finally, after what seemed like a whole day, the group of captives arrived at their final destination: Frieza's mothership. Vegeta stumbled out first into a brightly lit arrival bay. Frieza's minions lined up all the Saiyan's in front of a large screen - the reception from Hell. Frieza's face flickered onto the screen.

"Welcome my pets", purred Frieza. "You must all be slightly confused as to why you're here. Well, I must say, you should be flattered instead. You have been chosen as the creme de la creme, the best Saiyan muscle your planet has to offer. Some of you are peasants, others soldier's sons, and one of you even a Prince!" A very uncomfortable feeling was settling at the pit of Vegeta's stomach. He did not like the direction in which this briefing was heading. "In short", continued the lizard, "I didn't discriminate. I just sought the best soldiers. And from now on, you will forget your allegiance to Planet Vegeta and all its inhabitants, surrendering your strength entirely to me. Now, I'm not cruel. I won't leave you with those vicious collars around your neck - no, you Saiyans are too smart for those. I trust you won't try to escape. That is all." The room filled with a series volatile snarls and growls, the kind only a really pissed off group of Saiyans could emit.

"Oh", added Frieza, "but I did provide a little bit of incentive for your compliance. It was your blood brethren who surrendered you to me, you know?" Vegeta felt surprise rise in his chest. His father had given Vegeta, his only son and heir, to Frieza? "I know what you must all be thinking. How could they, right? You Saiyans don't love your families, but you at least trust them, don't you?", continued Frieza. The lizard took a moment to chuckle at the thought. "Well that trust has not been misplaced. I gave them an ultimatum. Either I have you, or I take all your women, ravage and kill them, deliver their filthy corpses back to your shithole of an excuse for a planet, and destroy all of you along with the planet. How's that sound? Not so good I presume?" The Saiyans were stunned into silence. "I didn't think so. And apparently your families didn't either. So they assumed you would be prefer this, for the sake of your race that is. And so I propose this: if you're good and do exactly as I say for the remainder of your lives, however short that may be, then I won't follow through with my threat." The silence in the room persisted. Vegeta's heart hammered in his chest. _Was this truly happening? Was this his fate? And Apple? What of her? _

"Luckily for you, you'll be able to make occasional contact with your home planet through a primitive communication form - letters. That is, of course, if you do as you're told. Now, aren't I a benevolent master?", finished Frieza. The Saiyans hesitated momentarily before allowing themselves to nod. There was a mixture of emotion in the room - hate, desperation, loathing. Vegeta was beginning to feel claustrophobic. He wanted off of the ship, but he knew it would never happen.

The months began to pass by slowly. Frieza would send the Saiyans on only the most difficult of missions. Oftentimes, they would return in near dead states. Some, not at all. Two of Vegeta's fellow comrades Nappa and Raditz, Saiyans he had known prior to their enslavement, would often talk of escape. Vegeta agreed only half-heartedly. He would love to split open and eat the intestines of the infernal lizard, but he feared for Apple's safety. She could be seriously hurt.

Finally, the promised letters came. The Saiyans attacked Frieza's envoy as if he were a banquet table, pulling and yanking at the letters he brought in. Vegeta quickly ripped open the letter addressed to him. It was from his sister, Brocolz. Vegeta scanned over the letter's contents. After a few minutes of reading Vegeta froze in place. He could read no further. Time seemed to stop all around him. Was this letter real? Vegeta looked over the handwriting - it was unmistakable, it belonged to the now sixteen-year-old Brocolz. In it she had written something Vegeta couldn't process. She stated that Apple had fallen extremely ill after Vegeta's abrupt disappearance. Several doctors later, it was concluded that Apple was pregnant. Vegeta's heart would've swelled with pride if it hadn't been for the devastating sentences that followed. Due to her illness, and suffering from the loss of Vegeta, Apple and the baby had died during childbirth. There had been too many complications, and the child, a boy, was born too weak to survive for more than a few hours. For a while, Vegeta sat in silence considering his next course of action. Nappa wandered over to Vegeta, wondering what news the Prince had received from his family.

"What's going on Vegeta?", asked Nappa carelessly. When Vegeta didn't move, Nappa shuffled around to get a closer look at Vegeta's face. Nappa froze in place. Something was completely off. Vegeta always carried a scowl on his face, but the look of pure hatred that burned in his eyes sent a shiver down the usually confident Nappa. He did not ask any further questions. And Vegeta said nothing to no one. He had no reason to. There was no reason left for him to live, other than killing Frieza that was. When Vegeta went to sleep at night he pushed all thoughts of Apple out of his mind. _Pretend she never existed_. Instead, he would dream of how to kill Frieza. And one calm summer day as Vegeta sat eating one of Frieza's disgusting energy bars on yet another poor, wretched planet the Saiyans had been forced to conquer, Vegeta received the news that Planet Vegeta had been completely obliterated by Frieza.

Vegeta said nothing as he continued to eat in silence. His mother, his father, his sisters, Brocolz, the palace he had called a home, the giggling Saiyan girls who crushed on him, the grassy field where he and Apple met & later consumated their love as mates, Apple herself...It simply ceased to exist from one moment to the next. Vegeta simply grunted in disinterest, swallowing the pain and hatred, letting it wash over every fiber of his being. He would destroy Frieza even if it meant surrendering his own life. He really no longer cared. Nappa walked over to him a short while later with Raditz in tow, the living remnants of a once mighty race. "Vegeta, our scouters are telling us that there's still another living Saiyan on a planet called...Earth. Raditz claims it's his biological brother, Kakarrot." Vegeta considered this factor for a moment before speaking, "So then we go to Earth, use whatever resources it may have, and collect Kakarrot. He will join us in our fight to defeat Frieza." "And if he refuses?", inquired Nappa. Vegeta symbolically picked up a small rock and pulverized it with his fist in front of the two other Saiyans. Raditz smirked in understanding. The three, however, failed to notice another faint blip on the scouter...

**XXX**

After experiencing defeat at hands of Kakarrot, and during his final battle with Frieza on Namek - that's when he first met the blue-haired heiress. She had been absolutely terrified of him. It was nothing like his initial encounter with Apple. He had no interest in her, didn't find her nearly as attractive as Apple either, and he certainly didn't like her dominant attitude. All things considered, the circumstances were entirely different and so was Vegeta.

After the whole affair came to an end, Vegeta was essentially left with no other choice but to live on planet Earth. And worse, to live with the dreadful woman. But as the weeks began to pass, something changed. His perspective changed. The new threat of the android invasion and the potential to become Super Saiyan excited him. But it was the woman who called herself Bulma that ignited something in him, something that had long been dead. She couldn't have been more different from Apple. She was rude, bossy, noisy, prone to tantrums, inconsiderate, selfish, outrageous, and rough. But she was everything he needed. Vegeta couldn't bear the thought of being around someone who was exactly like Apple. It would've been too painful, too risky. So, slowly, he gave in to Bulma. He began to see how attractive she truly was. She was easy to relax around. There were no pretenses with her. It wasn't love, and it wasn't friendship, but it also wasn't just camaraderie. He felt something for her, although what, he didn't know.

All of these thoughts passed through Vegeta's mind as he trained on the barren planet, a month after having abandoned the Capsule Corp household. He realized that the only reason the woman's words had stung him so much, had been because they had brought forth the truth behind his bad memories. Memories of an unhappy ending. She had seemed so hurt at the time. Vegeta punched into a boulder, practicing his form. Why did the woman seem so hurt when it was she who had insulted him? What had she said exactly? _Not an android, not a Saiyan, not a brunette at some party...wait...what?_ Vegeta stopped to think for a moment. A brunette at some party? The memory flooded back into his mind. Bulma's party. The woman looked absolutely beautiful. Sex with some brunette under a tree..._Oh shit_. He finally understood what had incited the woman's outburst. She must've seen him having sex with the brunette from the party, and took it as a betrayal. But why? It's not as if they were mates. Was she jealous? She had never displayed any real interest in him. But then again he wasn't familiar with any human courting rituals. Perhaps being a bitch was one of them. In that case, the woman was doing an excellent job.

Vegeta made up his mind then and there. Once he achieved Super Saiyan, he would march straight back into Capsule Corp and demand an explanation from the woman. With a new goal in mind, Vegeta focused all the angst and anger in his body, his desire to surpass Goku, and his thoughts of Apple and Bulma into his energy charge...

**Back at Capsule Corp...**

Bulma finally decided she couldn't take it anymore. She needed to do something. Staying cooped up in a lab, with her father of all people, wouldn't change a single thing. Bulma frowned. Now that the whole gang had gotten insanely strong, her technological genius had become null and void. She was one of the expendable ones. Furthermore, other than friendship she had no real connection to the rest of the group. At least Chi Chi could say she was the mother of Gohan. Bulma paced back and forth in her room, considering what her next course of action should be.

She knew she should do something that would keep her out of everyone's way during the oncoming battle. True she felt horrible and worthless, but that wasn't a good enough reason to spread out her angst amongst the people she loved most. Bulma had never been one to play martyr, and she wasn't about to start now. As far as everyone knew, she was perfectly alright.

And that's when it hit her. An adventure. To get the dragonballs. _No_. That would only bring back memories of a time when things were actually good. What she needed was a new adventure, or a time machine. _Wait, that was it! She would build a time machine. _She already had the layout for the plan from years ago. She had the materials. Now all she needed was a place to build it - far from the city, and she knew just the place. It was a cave she had discovered during one of her many travels, in the middle of a jungle a continent away. It was isolated, beautiful, and dangerous. Just what she needed. The winds of motivation were blowing as Bulma packed for the trip. She loaded up one of Capsule Corp's rugged terrain vehicles and jumped in.

Right before she left, her mother rushed up to see her off. "Bulma honey", Bunny started, "are you sure this is a good idea? What if your friends come looking for you?" "It's fine mom", replied Bulma, "my friends don't need me right now. And if they ask, just tell them I'm off on a trip somewhere. No details." "And if Vegeta returns? What should I tell him?", asked Bunny. Bulma chuckled sardonically. "Don't worry mom, he won't be back", replied Bulma. With that Bulma, activated the vehicle's touch screen and drove off into the distance.


	9. The Butcher

Oh Guys - I'm sooooo sorry it took this long to update. School and stuff got in the way. I promise I'll be much more consistent! This chapter focuses a little more on Bulma's trials and tribulations.

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Vegeta lifted his eyes to the three moons that surrounded the particular planet he had been training on. He was drenched in sweat, tired from having over-exerted himself for the past two months. Despite his bulging muscles, his frame had clearly thinned out. The lack of proper nutrition had begun to take its toll on his body. Even now, he was emanating steam, remnants of the massive energy output of the last few hours. He had finally done it. He had finally reached Super Saiyan. It hadn't been easy to accomplish. In fact, it had almost cost him his life. But he could finally return to that wretched planet called Earth, his head held high, once again having claimed the title of the Prince of all Saiyans. Weakened by the force needed to accomplish such a feat, Vegeta stumbled his way towards the Capsule Corp ship he had used (stolen) to make his way onto the barren planet in the first place. Destination: Earth. A satisfied smirk crossed Vegeta's lips as he imagined the blue-haired wench's expression when she finally realized he had achieved the seemingly impossible.

Somewhere in the midst of an unnamed forest...

Bulma lifted her eyes to the moon above. She was drenched in sweat from having spent the past couple of days, sleeping briefly, eating lightly, and building the time machine. She didn't think it possible at first, but it seemed she had finally surpassed her own genius capabilities. She was close to finishing the time machine. The possibilites were limitless. And the dangers were very real too. She could change history. But would she want to? Bulma went back to staring at the moon, a water bottle in hand. _I wonder if he's looking at the same moon._ Probably not, she concluded. He was probably off on some remote planet, training and banging all the hot chicks in sight, whatever species they may be.

A distant howl interrupted her thoughts. Bulma shivered and quickly strode back into the cave she was camping out in. Despite her initial bravery, she had to admit she was quite afraid. The dark, lonely forest seemed most ominous and dangerous at night. It was uncomfortable and cold nearly the entire time. Bulma would have much rather spent her evenings in a warm,fluffy bed, wrapped in the strong arms of a certain Saiyan. No! Bulma smack her forehead repeatedly, attempting to purge herself of all thoughts of Vegeta. Couldn't she understand already? It was over!  
_Although_...Bulma considered, the heart wasn't like the mind. It couldn't just learn to understand facts, no matter how rational they may be be. And her heart couldn't fathom the idea of just giving up on her love for Vegeta. Bulma sighed allowing herself to fall into a restless sleep.

The following morning, back at Capsule Corp, Bunny was cleaning out the table on the front lawn when a loud crash followed by a BOOM! interrupted her thoughts. She had become quite used to the sound of explosions by now, but that didn't mean they didn't startle her. Half expecting to see a half-fried Dr. Briefs stumble out of the building, Bunny continued cleaning for a few more seconds before finally turning around.  
"Oh dear, what did you do now-". Bunny's voice caught in her throat. Standing a mere few feet away from her was a very annoyed Vegeta. He looked both handsome and terrible at the same time. Did he get taller, or was it her imagination? His torso was littered with more scars than usual. He seemed gaunt and extremely tired. "Vegeta", she finally managed to say,"What happened to you honey?"

"Where's the woman?", growled Vegeta.

He was in no mood to make conversation with the annoying blonde woman.

"Bulma? Oh honey, she hasn't been here for about a month now. She left and didn't tell us where she was going. Well, she always does that."

"What?", asked Vegeta angrily. What did she mean by "she left"? Where was she going to go?  
Bunny nodded sympathetically to nothing in particular.

"I wouldn't wait around for that girl either. She usually takes these little trips for years on end. Although, if you'd like to wait I don't mind. But the wait time could be up to three years."

Vegeta stared at the woman, a dumbfounded expression on his face. Three years? And what of the android invasion? Did she even plan to be there when it happened?

"Most of her supplies run out in three years. But you know Bulma, well, maybe you don't really know Bulma", continued Bunny, "but whenever she gets depressed she just disappears. Just like her father. I wonder what could have gotten her so down this time though? I mean, she had you to talk with at the very least."

Vegeta said nothing. He simply strode into Capsule Corp wordlessly, leaving the wench's mother talking to herself. If it was a three year wait, then he'd wait for the woman. Now he absolutely had to see her. Because when he did, he would be sure to make her suffer for having forced him to wait for her return. At the very least, she could have mentioned where she was going. He decided, at that point in time, that he would not be responsible for anything bad that might happen to her.  
After a few minutes of self-reflection, several thoughts slowly began to creep through Vegeta's mind as he sat down on one of Bulma's favorite chairs in the living room. What if something bad had happened to her? what then? What if she needed help right now? Vegeta suddenly stood up, no longer able to sit still. He'd have to train to get her off his mind. And the best person to train against would be Kakarrot. With that, Vegeta took off to find his archrival.

BOOM! Bulma backed away from the fully assembled machine as it started up. It really looked like a piece of equipment from the distant future. A potion-like substance pumped fluid into the contraption. It was her brand spanking new ship/time machine. Touch screens, a silent motor, weapons, and even a fully equipped stereo (yes, Bulma was that good) could be found inside of the machine. Her most difficult project was finally complete. She should've done this a long time ago. Now she would be able to travel back and forth through time, changing everything about the past that presently vexed her. Well...she probably shouldn't change anything. Bulma began to do her happy forest dance. It was a private dance of joy that she did whenever she felt acceptionally accomplished...and never around anyone else.  
A few minutes into her dance, a loud explosion rocked the very foundation Bulma stood on. A mushroom cloud of smoke appeared behind her, as she flew up into the air and smacked her head against a solid surface. And everything went dark...

XXX

Back at Capsule Corp...  
Dr. Briefs stared hard into the computer screen he had been monitoring for the past half an hour. He searched for a signal, for even a small bleep indicating to him that his daughter was still alive and well. It was to no avail. The signal that had been perfectly active for the past month or so was now nowhere to be found. The results from the autoscan came back. Dr. Brief frowned. It read: device detonated from unkown cause. More than troublesome, this was worrisome. His daughter had gone on hundreds of trips before, but the tracking device he had covertly placed on her each and every time never sufferred loss or damage. And now this...

Dr. Briefs was not privy to worrying. He was a pensive man, a man of science, who believed everyone should live life as they see fit. It was the reason he married Bunny. She never second-guessed herself and she never asked any questions. Bulma was a little more like him. She was smart, resourceful, and curious. But she also had a flair for the dramatic and she was highly emotional, a quality neither one of her parents shared. He often wondered where she got if from. These bouts of angst, jealousy, rage,and passion often propelled his daughter onto wild missions halfway across the planet. It was how she met Goku and all her close friends. So, it didn't surprise Dr. Briefs at all, when he heard of Bulma's most recent desire for adventure. Unbeknownst to her, Dr. Briefs had developed a special tracker, one made of organic material. It was an injectable device that he had placed inside her arm - a 'tetanus' shot had been the excuse. If it detonated, that would have meant that she had sustained a significant injury to her arm. And a one-armed girl in a remote wilderness was a fatality waiting to happen. Dr. Briefs mused over his options. He could follow the device's last registered location and investigate himself. Time was of the essence. Dr. Briefs had designed and constructed a small army of droid soldiers for such an emergency, but it would take at least two months before he could have them active. By then, it might be too late for Bulma, if it wasn't already...

Dr. Briefs shook the thoughts from his mind. He needed solid facts. But how? His mind wandered over to a picture of his daughter, younger, her arms thrown joyfully around little Goku's neck, while Krillin and Yamacha gave peace signs. That's it: Goku & the gang. Bulma wouldn't be happy about it. Dr. Briefs knew how she felt about her friends at the moment. She felt abandoned and unloved. But she would have to accept their help if she wanted to return home unharmed...

XXXX

Somewhere in the dense forest...  
Bulma's eyes snapped open, a decision she immediately regretted. Her senses flooded with pain. Her body was painfully numb, a hot sensation running through her sinuses, and her legs felt like they were being stretched to their limit. She was literally seeing red. It took her several painful attempts at sitting up, before she finally realized that she was hanging upside down from somewhere, a chain binding her legs to a hook in the ceiling. Bulma struggled to make sense of the upside-down world around her. It looked like she was locked up in a poorly lit filthy old bathroom - a serial killer's dream setting. A steady 'DRIP' 'DRIP' caught her attention. Blood was running down her arm. How had that happened? Bulma struggled to remember. Flashes reminded her here and there of the chronology of events -Vegeta-forest-time machine-explosion...She couldn't stay this way for much longer.

"Help!", cried out Bulma hoarsely. Of course the cry fell onto deaf ears. There was no one around, or so she assumed. But if that were the case, then how the hell had she gotten up there?...  
A beeping sound caught Bulma's attention. A cellphone? Not hers...A stifled sob woke Bulma from her daze.

"Is someone there?", she rasped.

"Keep it down. For Kami's sake, you're going to get his attention!", rasped a voice in response. It was clearly a young woman's voice.

"Please", continued Bulma in a lower tone, "help me...I'm chained here-"

"We all are!", rasped the voice in reply.

"We all"? Exactly how many people were in this room? As if responding to her unhappy inquiry, the hospital-like lights in the room flickered to life. It took only seconds for a shriek to escape Bulma's lips, and she certainly wasn't the only one. In fact, what seemed like tens of girls shrieked in unison. Bulma estimated there must have been at least thirty girls in the room at the time - all of them chained upside-down from the ceiling, like cattle at a slaughterhouse. Likewise, the room seemed far more industrial and foreboding under the flourescent lights. "Oh Kami, he's coming", cried a red-headed girl. She hung closest to what appeared to be the only door in the room. Bulma couldn't find the voice to speak as she stared at the apparently blood-stained, frightened, injured women surrounding her. She wondered how she, herself, must've looked at the moment.

"Whatever you do, don't make a sound when he comes in. You hear me? Don't make a sound!", rasped a voice close to her.

Bulma looked up to see the face of the young woman who had spoken to her in the darkness. A poorly stitched gash ran across a seemingly once-beautiful face. The woman was wide-eyed as she spoke, a measure of fear that began to reflect on Bulma. CLANG! The metal door swung open, sending a cold wind rushing through the room. Bulma froze up immediately as she watched the figure entering the room. It was clearly a man, not nearly as built as any of her male friends, but muscular nonetheless. He was tall and dressed with an apron - not a very comforting sight to behold, but most discomforting of all was the fact that he wore an cloth sack over his head. It was a disfigured and twisted sight to see, and quite frankly, Bulma wasn't sure she ever wanted to see what was under the sack. Keeping to the young woman's advice, Bulma stayed as silent as possible, trying not to attract any attention to herself. The man walked up to the red-headed woman who was, by now, sobbing uncontrollably. Bulma stared in unsuspecting horror as the man pulled out a heavy butcher knife and raised it above his head.

"Please! No! Please, I have children!", cried the red-head. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as the 'Butcher' began to hack away at her legs, right below the knee. Bulma had to bring a hand to her mouth to keep herself from screaming. Once the girl's legs had been completely severed, she fell to the floor in a pool of her own blood, pallid and weak. Bulma continued to watch as the Butcher grabbed the writhing girl by the hair, dragging her out of the room, and wordlessly slamming the door shut behind him. For a long time, no one said anything. Some girls cried silently. Bulma simply stared at the trail of blood left by the girl's torn legs.

"We all just woke up here - different girls. And every day he comes and takes one away", said the young woman next to Bulma.

Not knowing how to respond, Bulma asked the only question she could think of. "How do we get out of here?" Right on cue, the chains abruptly gave way and sending the girls crashing to the floor. Bulma smacked her knee hard against the concrete floor. She writhed in pain for several seconds. The chain binding her legs were now slackened, although there were still cuffs chainined to her ankles. She be able to walk and move, but not 'escape'. Bulma deduced, from the slaughterhouse-like setting of the place, that the lever used to lift and drop the chains was directly outside of the room, but unattainable if the door was locked from the outside.

"There is no escape", replied the girl, "We just have to hope someone will find us". Bulma desperately yanked and clawed at the chains.

"Don't you think we've tried that already?" stated the girl, "Those chains are unbreakable."

Bulma cast the girl a silencing glare. There was no way she'd die like this. Bulma was an engineering genius, and like any good genius she had taken emergency precautions. She carefully took off her boot and pried open the sole. Several small capsules tumbled out. BUlma grabbed the utility belt capsule and popped it open. The girls around her watched in awe as Bulma puled out a small device from the newly formed utility belt and melted the chains binding her. Almost immediately, the room filled with desperate pleas for release.

"Don't make so much noise! He'll hear us! I'll get everyone out, just wait a second!", whispered Bulma.

"What is that thing?", asked the dark-haired girl in wonder, as she stared at the metallic contraption Bulma held in her hand.

"It's an invention of mine", replied Bulma, "A device that seperates the ions inside metals, and makes it unstable. I carry it with me in case of an emergency...like now I suppose."

"Wait", questioned the dark-haired girl,"invention? Are you working for Capsule Corp?"

"In a sense", replied Bulma as she quickly worked to free the girls surrounding her, "Dr. Briefs is my father."

The dark-haired girl seemed stunned, unwilling to ask further questions. Bulma proceeded to unchain the girls one by one, working her way around the room. There were still at least ten girls left to release when the chains yanked the remaining girls up to the ceiling once again. The dark-haired girl was one of them.

"Oh God! He's coming! Please help!" Bulma desperately jumped up, trying to reach the chains that bound the dark-haired girl. It was futile.  
Most of the freed girls began to panic, not knowing what to do.

One of the freed girls, a feisty looking blonde, kicked open a ventilation shaft. She spoke in a southern drawl, "We go though here now!"

"Please don't leave me!", cried the dark-haired girl. She grabbed Bulma's hand pleadingly. Bulma glanced over her shoulder as one-by-one all the freed girls crawled off into the ventilation shaft. "Come on!", called out the blonde, as a familiar set of heavy footsteps approached the door. Bulma closed her eyes and shook her head. She thought of her family, of Goku and her friends, of how different she wished things had turned out between all of them, of how she never truly got to tell Vegeta how she felt about him. Oh Kami she was an idiot...

"I won't leave you", stated Bulma firmly. She smiled up at the dark-haired girl. The blonde shook her head in disbelief and disappeared into the ventilation shaft. The door swung open, and a familiar gust of cold air hit Bulma. The sack-cloth Butcher stood at the doorway. He seemed somewhat confused as he looked around the room, noticing only about ten shivering girls hanging from the ceiling...and then his eyes, wherever they were, settled on Bulma. Bulma felt all the hairs on her neck stand up. This was it. There was no Goku and friends to save her this time. Only her own wits and agility. Either the 'thing' standing before her was too stunned to move, or Bulma suddenly gained a Super Saiyan burst of adrenaline, but Bulma rushed right past the Butcher and out the door. In a two-step process she found and subsequently yanked the lever located exactly outside the door. Bulma heard soft thuds as the girls dropped to the floor. Bulma knew it - the girls were freed. It was at that point that the Butcher seemed to have awoken from his trance, and let out what sounded like an unholy roar. He proceeded to follow Bulma. Bulma glanced down the split hallway. She had no idea which way was "out", she simply chose the one that would lead her in the opposite direction of the Butcher. From the corner of her eye, as she rushed past the room, Bulma saw the last of the girls escape through the ventilation shaft. _Great_, she thought,_that means I'm the only idiot stuck in here!_

The Butcher seemed to gain some speed at the turn of the hallway, but Bulma made a desperate run for it. She must've gone through at least twenty twists and turns before she finally noticed a dead end at the end of the hallway. _"NO!", _she screamed to herself. She pressed her back against the final wall, watching as the Butcher slowed down and approached her with unforgettable malevolence. Bulma's luck had finally run out. The Butcher swung at her with his knife, grazing her already injured arm. Bulma screamed and took a swipe at the Butcher with her own fingernails. Her nails snapped as they seemed to scrape against tough leathery skin. She recoiled in pain as a small capsule fell out...out of her arm?

At any other time, she would have questioned the small miracle, but not today. The Butcher readied himself to deliver the fatal blow. Bulma grabbed the capsule and popped it open, unsure of what its contents would contain. Immediately, Bulma and the Butcher were knocked through the solid wall by an explosion. Bulma felt the ends of her hair singe as she fell out into broad daylight. The Butcher was knocked somewhere into the distance. It took Bulma a full minute to make sense of where she was. She was outside of a large slaughterhouse somewhere on the edge of the forest. She stumbled up from the ground and started to move. It didn't matter where to, but she knew she had to move before he did. Bulma could feel the burns on her arms and legs, but she kept going. She wondered if this is what Goku and the gang felt like when they fought. Well...they were a hell of a lot stronger than she was. Bulma could no longer see the Butcher as she reached..._a road_! _Yes_! That meant she was almost out of the forest! Bulma flailed her arms around desperately, and the car came to a stop.

XXXX

Back at Kame House...

Chi Chi happily served tea as Goku and Vegeta battled it out outside. Gohan, an unwilling Piccolo, Krillin, Yamacha, Master Roshi, Krillin's girlfriend Marron, Miwako, Tien, and Chaotzu. stared up at the battle taking place. Puar and Oolong helped her set up the plates for lunch. Chi Chi hated the fact that Goku was still fighting, but she recognized the importance of the upcoming battle. She also didn't want Gohan to participate but somehow, she imagined, the group would find a way to circumvent her orders. Chi Chi sighed to herself. It wasn't easy being the wife and mother of two meatheaded jocks.

A whirring sound interrupted her thoughts. Chi Chi walked over to the window to see a small Capsule Corp ship lower itself onto Kame House's island. Vegeta and Goku lowered themselves to the ground. "Don't think this battle is over Kakarott!" Goku rolled his eyes as the Capsule Corp ship opened up. A calm-as-always Dr. Brief stepped out carefully onto the sandy shores of Kame Island.

"Dr. Briefs! What brings you out here?", called out Goku. Indeed it was a rare sight to see the Bulma's old man outside of the Capsule Corp labs at any given time. In fact, Goku couldn't remember if he'd ever seen him step out of the Dome's premises for more than an afternoon picnic.

"Ah, I've been meaning to visit Kame House for some time now. Seemed as good a time as any", mused Dr. Briefs. "Welcome to my home", responded Master Roshi curtly. Vegeta gazed off into the distance, seemingly angry at nothing in particular as Chi Chi and the girls set out and additional chair for Dr. Briefs.

"Care to join us for lunch Dr. Briefs?", chirped Marron. "Uh, no, no thank you very much. That would be fine, yes. Actually I came to ask you fellows for a favor. It's regarding Bulma, you see..."  
All ears perked up in attendance at the mention of the familiar name. Vegeta growled under his breath.

"You see", said Dr. Briefs careful not to alarm anyone, "she seems to have disappeared." -Silence- "Uh, Bunny said she was on a trip", said Oolong carefully breaking the silence.  
"Yes, that was at first", replied Dr. Briefs, "but it seems she may have run into a bit of a snag at some point. I, uh, had a tracking device inside of her which has now malfunctioned."

"Well, what does that mean?", asked Goku.

"One of two things. Either her arm has sustained serious, possibly life threatening injury, since I had the tracker embedded close to an artery. Or she's dead. The tracker malfunctions if its host is no longer alive as well", replied Dr. Briefs matter-of-factedly.  
Once again, silence prevailed.

Attempting to dispel the awkward silence, Dr. Briefs continued, "Well I hope it's the former you know. I can give her a new arm if she lost it, but I can't give her a new life! Hahaha...bad joke, okay..."  
The gang gaped at Dr. Briefs as if he had just grown two heads. Vegeta stared at Dr. Briefs wide-eyed. _Had the old man implied that the woman was dead?..._

Krillin was the first to respond. "Dr. Briefs, don't take this so lightly! Where is she?" "Perhaps we should return to my lab first. That's where I have her final coordinates. We can take it from there", stated Dr. Briefs,"it's woooah-"

Goku had already lifted up Dr. Briefs into the air. Vegeta and the rest of the gang was at his side. "Let's go!", yelled out Goku. With that everyone set off towards Capsule Corp. headquarters.

XXXX

At Capsule Corp...

Bunny stared up at the sky. Twilight was setting in. She sighed repeatedly as she wondered about her only daughter. Her husband had explained to her the situation as it stood, and she didn't like it. What if she really had died? A loud thump, followed by a crashing noise, interrupted her thoughts. "Perhaps it's the boys", she mused as she rushed to the front door. What she saw, however, caused a shriek to escape her throat.

"Bulma!", she cried.

There she was. Bulma lay slumped into her favorite seat in the house. Her once long hair had been burned off to just below her shoulders. She was blood spattered, bruised, and burned. A steady stream of blood trickled down her injured arm. Little of her clothes remained, just enough to provide her the necessary modesty.  
"Mom", rasped Bulma after what seemed a full minute, "I need a cigarette."

Bunny didn't question her. She quickly offered her daughter a much-needed cigarette and lit it up for her. "Honey, are you okay? Oh, what happened to you?", cried Bunny worriedly.

"Nothing. Nothing at all", responded Bulma flatly. Bulma smoked pensively. _What should she do now? _

As if on cue, her father, Goku and the gang, and of all people, Vegeta, burst in through the front door. It took everyone a few seconds to register Bulma's dire state. And then they rushed her. Goku was the first to reach her. "Bulma, Bulma, Bulma, what happened? Are you okay? Bulma?", he questioned over and over.

"Who did this to you?", asked Yamacha. She might not be his girlfriend, but there was no way anyone would get away with doing something like this to her. Bulma glared at her _friends_ wearily.  
"Just great, exactly what I needed Dad! Bring the whole posse!", snarled Bulma. She attempted to shove Goku out of her way. When the push didn't seem to even register with him, Bulma climbed off of the back of her chair and sprinted up the stairs to her bedroom. She didn't bother to glance Vegeta's way, although she knew he was there.

"Woman!", snarled Vegeta, in his attempt to apprehend her.

"Go fuck yourself!", cried out Bulma, as she slammed her bedroom door behind her, leaving everyone absolutely dumbfounded.  
An awkward silence settled in after awhile. It seemed to be the theme of the day.

"So", started Dr. Briefs, "I guess you can all go home then! She seems to be in good spirits!" And for the first time in a long time, Goku didn't feel like the dumbest optimist in the room.

* * *

So what did you think? Bulma sure made a narrow escape. Don't worry, this is all relevant to the story in the future!


	10. Bulma's Ruined Birthday

Bulma chewed into her French Toast robotically, as she did with almost all her meals these days. Today was not going to be a good day. She could tell already. It had been one month since her encounter with the Butcher, and she still hadn't heard anything in the news about a bunch of girls who had escaped a sadistic psychopath. Had the girls she set free even made it out?

For the past month or so, she had been able to evade each and every question from friends and family members over the events that took place during her little _trip_. Goku, Yamacha, and Vegeta were particularly insistent. It seemed to her, that every guy who had even remotely dumped her suddenly found himself concerned with her well being. Almost as if they could make up past betrayals with present-day heroics. She always replied with an "I don't want to talk about it", or an "I'm busy". But today would prove to be much more difficult. Today was her birthday, and despite daily protests, her mother and her friends decided to throw her an all-too-big birthday party.

Bulma glanced up at Vegeta who sat across from her at the breakfast table this morning. She remembered what happened at the last party he was at. Images of Vegeta making love to another girl against a tree flashed through her mind. Bulma couldn't stop the glare that escaped her...an act that did not go unnoticed by Vegeta.

"Do you have some sort of problem with me woman?", snarled Vegeta.

"Why are you here again?", asked Bulma, "If you reached Super Saiyan already, shouldn't you be off fighting everything you see, and leaving me alone?"

"I will stay and go where I damn well please!", replied Vegeta.

Bulma slammed her fork down on the breakfast table, and left the kitchen. She was growing especially sick and tired of looking at Vegeta's arrogant face. Bunny who had been washing dishes all morning, cast Bulma a worried glance as she exited the kitchen. The tension between Bulma and Vegeta had been growing exponentially since Bulma's return. They could hardly exchange a sentence without fighting.

Vegeta continued eating nonchalantly. Nothing could really phase him, not the woman's bad attitude, not anything. He was determined to find out what had happened to Bulma during the time she took her so-called "journey", even if it killed him. He hated being denied knowledge of information that seemed pertinent to him. Frieza did it to him all the time during his period of enslavement, and he was not about to let some earthling do the same. After a few more minutes of reflection, Vegeta too tossed his fork aside and trudged out of the kitchen. Dr. Briefs who had been sitting there the entire time, sipped his coffee happily, completely oblivious to anything outside of his world of science.

Bulma sat outside on an old swing in her backyard. The swing was attached to an old oak tree - luckily, not the same one Vegeta had "used"...She had spent a lot of her younger years on these swings. One time it had broken off, and Goku had put it back up for her. She smiled at the thought of the little boy clambering up the tree, trying his best to stop her crying. Since then the swing had been slightly lopsided, but she didn't mind. In fact, she loved it more. Whenever anything bad happened she would spend hours swinging away in the backyard until she didn't feel like crying anymore. If she were to do that nowadays, she would probably have to stay on the swing forever. Bulma smiled, the sunshine glistening through the oak's leaves raised her spirits ever so slightly. Or at least it did, until Vegeta showed up.

Vegeta landed directly in front of Bulma, having flown in from somewhere within Capsule Corp. "Don't you think you're a little old to be playing on a swing?", chided Vegeta.

"Don't you think you should mind your own damn business? Goddammit Vegeta! Leave me alone already!", yelled Bulma. _Why did he feel the need to piss her off all the time?_

"Watch how you speak to me imbecile! I'm not here to play games with you! I'm here to train!", retorted Vegeta.

"The Gravity Room is in the front yard. Do you need directions, or should I draw you a map?", replied Bulma.

"It just so happens that I'm not training in the Gravity Room today. I'm training right here", stated Vegeta.

"Right here?", said Bulma mockingly.

"Right here!", asserted Vegeta.

"Whatever...", said Bulma rolling her eyes. She proceeded to rock on her swing, doing her best to ignore Vegeta.

Vegeta watched Bulma as she swung about daintily. She looked particularly beautiful with her new haircut, choppy edges, whispy bangs, shorter in the back, longer in the front. It looked like something a Saiyan female would do to her hair...Vegeta shook the thoughts from his head. He would not flatter the woman. Instead, he intended to make her sweat a little.

Vegeta ripped off his shirt, flexing his pecs slightly. Bulma forced herself to stifle a giggle. _Was he trying to impress her, or earn the title of corny Romance novel stud?_ Vegeta glared at Bulma. _Did she just try to laugh at him? This wasn't over_. Vegeta dropped down and started to do pushups. Bulma rolled her eyes and continued to swing. He switched to doing sit-ups. He would not be swayed. Bulma stole a glance at Vegeta with the corner of her eye. She actually found a man to be doing sit-ups extremely sexy. Vegeta immediately noticed this. Time to innitiate Plan B!

Vegeta ripped off his pants in one fell swoop, revealing tight training shorts underneath. Bulma's eyes bulged. A deep rumbling in her stomach quickly became a riotous laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!", she practically cried out. Vegeta stood up defensively. "What the hell is so fucking funny?", he roared, a clear blush spreading across his face. Where did the woman get the nerve to laugh at him.

"Oh my God!", cried Bulma, "Were you wearing stripper pants? You just ripped them off-HAHAHAHAHA!" Bulma struggled to restrain her laughter.

"What the hell are stripper pants?", scowled Vegeta, "Stop laughing!"

Vegeta grabbed one end of the swing and ripped it down, causing Bulma to topple over. Bulma's laughter immediately came to a stop as she looked down at her now broken swing. _No!_, she thought to herself. Goku had fixed this for her. Vegeta immediately sensed her growing animosity. He suddenly wanted her to start laughing at him again. Bulma jumped up and glared at Vegeta.

"Vegeta, you're a hopeless jerk, and I really never want to speak to you again!", she spat.

With that, she turned on her heels and raced off back into Capsule Corp. Vegeta stared at her run off wistfully. Human females really were an enigma, and one he'd rather not deal with. Apple was never like this. Vegeta shook the thought from his head. There was no comparison. Apple was sweet, brave, delicate, but fierce. She rarely complained. Bulma was hard-headed, kind of dumb, whiny, and a coward. And yet...he really didn't know Bulma that well. He wondered if he might be misjudging her. It hardly mattered to him after all. Instead, he decided, he would train. If she wouldn't talk, then he wouldn't bother!

Time sped through the rest of the day. Bulma had locked herself up in her room while Bunny and a few of her friends spent the rest of the day decorating for the evening's gala. This time, Bunny made sure to pick out an extravagant evening gown for Bulma as well as herself. It was a BIG birthday party - a black tie affair so-to-speak. Bulma glared out her window as she watched the brunette who had sex with Vegeta last time, show up in an all-too-revealing dress. She even had the audacity to bring a date this time. _Who the hell had the bright idea to invite her anyway?_  
The whole party had been Bunny's concoction. It looked like a damn wedding, or a fundraiser! Bulma still hadn't gotten dressed by the time Tien arrived in a tux. That's when she really knew she didn't want to go downstairs. _Really? Tien? In a tux? _Her mother awoke her from her meditations with a gasp.

"You're not ready?", she cried out when she saw Bulma's still disheveled hair and tired face.

"Mom, can't you tell them that I'm sick or something? You guys can party all you want, just leave me out of it!", protested Bulma.

Bunny sighed heavily. Her daughter hadn't been herself since the day she returned from her last trip. No one really knew what had happened to her, but they figured a party like this would at least lift her spirits. If there was one thing Bulma Briefs enjoyed, it was a good party. She loved clothes, boys, gossip, fun, her friends...but now, she was a mere shell of the girl she used to be. Everything pretty much started going downhill for her since Gohan was born, a fact that Bunny dreaded.  
She knew about Bulma's little crush on Goku since the day she met him, and she wondered if somewhere, somehow, Bulma still held a sliver of hope for her and Goku's relationship - a hope which promptly died out when Goku and Chi Chi had a son. Then there was Yamacha, and now Vegeta...

"Please Bulma", said Bunny bowing her head, "Please come down!" Bulma looked at her in surprise. She never really saw her mother plead with her this way.

"Mom please, I'll come down, okay. Don't be weird", replied Bulma.

Bunny smiled slightly and nodded. "Everyone will be waiting for you downstairs dear. Take your time."

Bulma sighed as her mother closed the door behind her, probably afraid she'd change her mind again. Bulma commenced the long process of getting ready. If this had happened prior to her encounter with the Butcher, she might have been happy and eager to party. But now...everything weighed her down. She was still exceedingly traumitized from that day. Bulma glanced down at her arm. A scar ran down where the Butcher had taken several swipes at her. If it hadn't been for the Explosive Capsule her father had, for some reason, stuck in her arm, she would have been long dead. Thankfully, Dr. Brief's precautions had paid off. She should be happy to be alive. But thoughts of the other girls still haunted her. _What if the Butcher had finished them off after all? What if he had caught up to them? Is that why no one came forward?_

Bulma pulled on the dress her mother had chosen for her. It was beautiful, midnight blue with a soft glittery hue. It was strapless, knee-length, had a corset stitching on the back, and a barely-there lace mesh lining above the breasts. The tail of the dress however, fell to her ankles, and gave the dress a little lift, emphasizing her glittery midnight blue platform pumps. Bulma made painstakingly sure that her makeup was perfect, trying to stretch out the time before she had to go downstairs. She straightened and let down her hair in all it's punky glory, and embellished it with a small midnight blue pin. In short, she looked fantastic, but did she want to go downstairs? _No._ After what seemed like an hour, Bulma finally decided to make her entrance. Hopefully, she thought, everyone would be too involved to notice her.

She snuck her way down towards a second set of stairs that led directly to the kitchen. As she made her way in, she noticed all the chefs gaping at her through lust-filled eyes. It was better than having all her guests do the same, she figured. If she didn't make a grand entrance, then no one would notice her. Bulma stuck her head into the main party room.

Almost immediately, her eyes fell on Vegeta, who was looking extremely handsome in a James Bond-like tux. A hoarde of desperate looking beauties surrounded him while he looked away disinterested. As usual...she scowled. Bulma scanned the room. There were so many people. Goku looked great standing next to Chi Chi she noted, a thought that activated an inherent jealousy within. Yamacha looked just plain happy with Miwako. And for once, Bulma wished she had just let the damn Butcher cut her head off. There was a red carpet, a band lineup, and even the media was out in full force. Bulma spotted a number of celebrities around the room. One of them, a pretty actress, was practically throwing herself at Vegeta. Bulma sighed. Why did her mother do this to her? Did she hate her_?_

A barely audible commotion from the window closest to her, grabbed Bulma's attention. There were several security teams surrounding the Capsule Corp building this evening, attempting to ward off the fans and reporters who obviously weren't invited. Bulma wondered if anyone really came for her birthday, or for the excitement of the gathering. This was no time to be daydreaming, concluded Bulma. The sooner she got her "grand" entrance over with, the sooner she could lock herself back up in her room. Bulma briskly strode out into the main party floor. Audible gasps of admiration resounded around the room.

Incidentally, Vegeta crushed the champagne glass he was holding upon seeing Bulma. The shattered pieces of glass fell to the floor, as a flustered Vegeta tried to cover up his obvious embarrassment. At that very moment, Vegeta thought, Bulma rivaled Apple's beauty. He didn't want to compare the two, but Kami, was the 'woman' a turn on. It's as if she was trying to tease everyone.

Goku walked up to Bulma. "Bulma, you look-"

"Decent", interrupted Bulma hastily. She was in no mood for a compliment from Goku of all people.

She strode past her friends, past several politicians, celebrities, and socialites, and stood up on stage. Speaking into the microphone she started,

"Good evening everyone. As you all already know, it's my birthday. Well, that's why you're all supposedly here. I thank you all very much for coming. I'm sorry I'm late, I was busy. Okay, you can all go back to partying and whatever."

Bulma stepped down from the stage and trudged through the maze of guests all the way back to the kitchen. Bunny, who stood in the midst of the crowd next to Dr. Briefs, giggled nervously at Bulma's rude abruptness.

Bulma had no time to feel embarassed. Several of her friends tried to speak to her as she made her way to the back, but she ignored all of them. As soon as she reached the less densely populated kitchen, Bulma took the back stairs up to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her, silencing all the noise from out in the party room. _Finally...silence_. Bulma figured that having made that appearance should at least alleviate some of her mother's concern for her, regardless of it's shortness. Bulma walked over to her vanity mirror. She examined herself for a moment, noting a substantial loss of weight and a sad glaze over her eyes. When did she become such a mess?

_Oh right_, she remembered bitterly, when she heard about Chi Chi's pregnancy. That had solidified the end of her and Goku's short-lived relationship, and her years of daydreaming and praying. Even after they had gotten married, Bulma couldn't help but continue to hope for a miracle. She had spent the time with Yamacha, albeit his cheating ways. He was a good distraction. But then she got the news about Goku's impending fatherhood. She cried that entire day, and only her mother knew. Bulma had felt so selfish at the time, but she couldn't stop the feeling. She avoided Goku for a couple of years, communicating only through phone calls and letters. No longer able to avoid a reunion, she met young Gohan and Goku at Kame House. She had pretended to be surprised, pretended not to care, pretended to be happy for Goku and Chi Chi...

Then along came Vegeta, a prince in disguise. She had hated him at first, feared him even, but over time, a very familiar feeling began to overtake her - the Goku feeling - _the love feeling_. And then it was over before it even began. Was she destined to have her heart broken forever?

As Bulma contemplated this and other things whilst lying on her bed, she heard a bustle of commotion outside in the party room. She tried to avoid listening to it, closing her eyes, but the noise seemed to grow closer. The doors swung open and in walked...the BUTCHER.  
Bulma's eyes snapped open in shock. It was just a nightmare, she realized. A loud knock on the door sent her heart aflutter once again.

"Who is it?", called out Bulma.

"Bulma, it's me honey. Uh...the police are here to see you", responded Bunny uncertainly.  
_The police!_, she thought, _What the hell could they want with me?_

Bulma opened the door, combing back a few disheveled strands of hair along the way. She was greeted at the doorway by two well-dressed law enforcement agents. Bunny stood next to them looking rather perplexed.

"Mam, we're going to need you to come with us?", stated one of the officials curtly.

"What is this about Bulma?", asked Bunny. Her mother looked exceedingly nervous.

Bulma could tell exactly what this was about, just from the look in the officers' eyes. "Is this...about the guy from the forest?", asked Bulma.

A set of brief nods gave her the entire response she needed. "Mom don't worry about me. I'll be back home as soon as this is over", replied Bulma. She cast her mother a reassuring glance and walked out of her bedroom.

The party floor went completely silent when Bulma reached the staircase flanked by the two officers. As she walked through the maze of partygoers once again, Dr. Briefs intercepted her and the officers.

"Bulma, what's going on? Are you in some sort of trouble?", exclaimed Dr. Briefs.

"Don't worry sir. We'll have Miss Briefs back home as soon as possible. She's not in any trouble herself", interrupted one of the law enforcement officials.

"She's a key witness in a case", concluded the other officer.

Vegeta, not quite understanding the whole situation, reached out to Bulma and pulled her close to him. "You're not taking her anywhere!" Bulma cast Vegeta an alarmed look. He had essentially crushed her against his chest protectively, and even though it really wasn't the moment to notice these things, she was a bit intoxicated with the smell of shaving cream and cologne on him.

"Excuse me sir, you're interrupting official police business-", started one of the officer's angrily.

"I don't care what you think I'm interrupting, you worthless excuse for a human. Bulma stays here", retorted Vegeta.  
Bulma could sense Vegeta's rising anger. She was a bit awestruck by his defense of her, even though she didn't want to get in any further trouble. Not knowing what else to do, she cupped Vegeta's face in her hand and drew him close to her own face.

In a low whisper she told him, "Vegeta, listen to me. It's okay. Please don't fight with these men. I'm okay. I'm not in danger. If you wait for me here, I promise I'll tell you everything that happened, okay? I promise."

Vegeta immediately backed down. He looked into Bulma's eyes. The woman seemed frightened, but he knew he should probably listen to her.

"If you're gone for longer than a day, I will rip off that imbecile's head", replied Vegeta motioning towards the officer who had confronted him.

"Hey are you threatening me?-", started the officer.

"He's not!", interrupted Bulma hastily stepping out into the still-warm autumn air, essentially forcing the officers to follow her out.

Vegeta, joined by Goku and the gang, and her parents watched from a distance as Bulma was led into a police car. Bulma looked back at Capsule Corp wistfully, at her family, at her friends, and at her ruined birthday...

* * *

Thanks for all the reviews and such.

I'll update soon!


	11. Fever

I am soooo sorry for having taken so long to update.

Quite frankly, I've been very busy. But I shall procrastinate no longer. Please review!

Note: A little more fluff in this chapter than action, but I promise the next one will be better!

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Bunny's eyes followed Vegeta as he paced back and forth in the living room of Capsule Corp. _Why the hell won't she come down_! That was the only thought that ran through Vegeta's mind for the past hour or so, since Bulma had stumbled back into Capsule Corp.

A police officer had escorted Bulma to the front door, where she was greeted with heated exclamations of worry. At the time, Bulma had seemed _so_ tired that no one bothered to press the matter of her "arrest" any further. Bunny managed to convince all of Bulma's friends to go home, including a very resistant Goku, with promises of updates on the developing situation. Only Vegeta remained to ponder over her condition. And he hated to wait.

"Would you like some cookies?", started Bunny.

"NO! Stop it with the damn cookies! Aren't you the least bit concerned over the well being of your own offspring?", roared Vegeta.

"Hmm…I think you seem worried enough for the both of us", replied Bunny.

"I am not worried!", growled Vegeta. The words came out hesitantly, a fact which Bunny immediately noticed.

"Of course", replied Bunny, "Anyway, I think I'll go get started on dinner. Tell Bulma to come down and see me whenever she wakes up… she's probably asleep by now."

Vegeta watched the overly annoying blonde woman quickly disappear into a connecting corridor. He was glad she was gone. After all, it was her fault that the blue-haired wench was brought up to be so insolent. Vegeta decided that he would no longer wait for Bulma to come down. He flew up to her bedroom – conveniently located on the third story of this absurdly shaped building.

The door was shut. _Damnit!_ After a minute's worth of decision-making, he was determined to listen in on Bulma and hear if she awake. Pushing his ear against the door, Vegeta could hear shuffling around. _Aha! So she is feigning sleep!_

Vegeta kicked the door down angrily, causing it to give way easily. He strode inside, ready to scream at the woman for having forced him to wait for so long, but stopped seconds into letting the insults slip from his mouth.

There she was – Bulma – panting heavily in a pile of her own bedsheets, her face flushed a bright red.

_What the hell is she doing? _Vegeta's mind immediately went into the gutter. He could imagine himself on top of her, tangled in those same bedsheets, and he sure as hell would get more than pathetic 'pants' out of her.

It took him a full few seconds to realize that something was wrong. She didn't seem to be "enjoying herself". Far from it, she seemed to be in distress, still wearing the gown she had on last night. Her eyes were closed, but Vegeta could now see that tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Woman! What's the matter with you?", growled Vegeta. No answer. Now he was really getting worried. She was unresponsive and evidently ill. Vegeta rushed over to her and placed a hand on her forehead. Bulma was burning up!

Vegeta's first aid skills kicked in immediately. If there was something a Saiyan couldn't afford to be, it was "sick". The treatment of illnesses and injuries was of primary concern for any warrior, especially Saiyans. And luckily for Bulma, Vegeta was very good at getting the problem fixed. After scrambling for supplies in the Capsule Corp medicine cabinets, Vegeta quickly placed a cold compress of Bulma's head, and administered some fever-reducing medicine. He placed an IV drip next to her bed, wanting to make sure she received enough fluids.

She seemed awfully uncomfortable in her dress. Vegeta hesitated for a moment, but decided it would be best for him to change her clothes. He did it as quickly and respectfully as possible. Yet despite his concern, Vegeta did not fail to notice the tightening in his chest as his hands crept up the woman's newly exposed waist. He couldn't help but feeling like a pervert – taking advantage of an unconscious female. _No! This is strictly professional! She's the engineer for all my training devices! That's the only reason I need her alive! Think of Apple!_

Thoughts of Apple immediately caused any feelings he felt for the half-naked woman to disperse, and allowed Vegeta to quickly pull on a more comfortable t-shirt over the woman. He remembered how Bulma had done the same for him not too long ago. After a particularly harsh training session in which the Gravity Room had been all but destroyed, Vegeta had awoken to the sight of a sleeping Bulma on the desk next to him. He was bandaged up, albeit poorly, but it made him feel special…almost loved. This would be a kind of "thank you" for that time.

Bulma groaned for almost the entire first four hours, during which time Vegeta stayed by her side. Bunny and Dr. Briefs eventually caught on to the fact that their daughter was substantially ill, and joined Vegeta in taking turns to watch her for any sudden changes. And at a night, Vegeta would always stay by her side. This went on for a full week, when finally…

_One week later_

Bulma's eyes blinked open. She sat up instantly, sweating as if awakening from a bad dream - feeling as if a fog had just dissipated in front of her. It took her a minute to realize that she was sitting in her own bedroom. _What just happened?_ Why did she feel as if she had been running for miles?

Bulma glanced to the side. Immediately, her eyes widened. There, in a chair next to her bed, slept Vegeta. His neck was set at an uncomfortable angle. He looked incredibly peaceful, almost vulnerable. Bulma had never seen Vegeta sleep, and quite frankly, she was pleased with the sight of it. She wanted to touch him. _Don't do it. _Without thinking, Bulma couldn't stop herself as she reached out towards Vegeta, wanting to stroke his face just this once…

The Saiyan's heavy hand reached out and grabbed Bulma's wrist just as her fingers grazed his face. Vegeta's eyes snapped open.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Heat rushed to Bulma's cheeks. She felt the embarrassment creeping down her back. _Oh shit, think of something to say. _

"I uhhh…", Bulma stammered, "saw something on your face."

_Really? That's the best story you could come up with? _

"Really?", smirked Vegeta, "sure you didn't just _want_ to touch me?" With Bulma's hand still in his own, he pulled her arm in closer, seductively rubbing the back of her hand against his own face.

Every hair on Bulma's arms stood on end. She visibly shivered, before snapping her hand away from Vegeta.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?", mumbled Bulma in an attempt to dispel the tension in room.

"You were sick. I was watching you. But you're obviously better now, so I'm leaving", replied Vegeta matter-of-factly, almost as if the events of the previous minute had never occurred. Bulma wondered about Vegeta's ability to do this. Goku had the same capacity. No matter how grievous the event, a Saiyan could just brush himself off as if nothing had happened, and move on with his life. She envied this ability to just _move on_…something she obviously failed at in life.

Vegeta stood up and moved towards the door. Just as he reached the doorway, Bulma's common sense seemed to return. Her last memory was that of being at the police station, being grilled for hours by several detectives. From that point on, she seemed to have blacked out.

"Wait-wait a second. What do you mean I was sick? Is it morning already? Did I just come home and fall asleep?", asked Bulma.

"Ask your mother questions. I've wasted enough time with you. And if you're feeling so much better, then I suggest you get to fixing the Gravity Room already, it's hardly putting up any resistance."

With that, Vegeta slammed the door behind him. Bulma stared at the door dumbstruck for a few seconds before she felt the familiar feeling of anger rise up in her throat. _Asshole! Who does he think he is? _

Bulma stood up and rummaged through her drawers for her trusty phone device. She finally found it, and flipped it open to check for the date and time…

"WHAAAT!", yelled Bulma, her shouts resounding throughout Capsule Corp. Vegeta immediately rushed back into the room, breaking the door to her room once again.

"Woman! What the hell is wrong with you?", roared Vegeta upon seeing that Bulma was perfectly okay.

"It's a week—what-I've been asleep for a week? What the hell? Was I in a coma or something?", cried Bulma.

"Didn't I just fucking tell you that you were very sick? What's so hard to understand about that? Are you aware that Saiyans have fucking sensitive hearing, and that when you screech like a goddamned Banshee, you make me want to rip off my ears?", roared Vegeta. He was getting extremely tired of having to deal with the blue-haired wench all the time. She had only been awake for a few minutes, and already she was causing trouble.

Bulma ignored Vegeta's insults and buried her face in her hands. She was more concerned with the memories that were beginning to flood back into her mind. _The police station. They were accusing me of something at the police station…but what was it?..._

Bulma could just barely remember what the whole interrogation had been about.

Concerned with her unusual silence, and almost as if reading her mind, Vegeta plopped down onto one of Bulma's chairs. Bulma noted his obtrusive and pretentious manner of sitting. He didn't bother asking for permission, and the way in which he sat – arms draped casually over the arms of the chair, legs splayed out before him taking up as much room as possible – made it obvious that he was used to being treated like a commander and a royal.

"Could you please sit up straight, that isn't your throne, it's my chair", snapped Bulma. Her frustrated memories were putting her on edge.

Vegeta smirked condescendingly, "Never mind that. Tell me about what happened the other day."

"Do you think this is the most appropriate setting for that?", snapped Bulma. She drew her t-shirt in closer, suddenly feeling very exposed in front of Vegeta.

"It's _your_ bedroom. Would you prefer an auditorium?", stated Vegeta sarcastically.

Bulma realized the logic in Vegeta's words, and settled deep into her bed. She didn't know how to explain to Vegeta what had happened to her, and why. It would have to involve her telling the truth about "The Butcher".

"You promised woman", continued Vegeta, sensing the hesitation in her actions.

"I know. I know. It's just that—well…uh…", started Bulma. The words were tangling up her tongue.

Bulma was becoming anxious. Vegeta could tell. And something about that didn't sit well with him. At any other point, he might have pushed the matter. But today…

"If you're going to take so much time to respond, then maybe I'd rather not hear about it at all", stated Vegeta flatly. He stood up ready to leave.

"What?...wait…you're not going to—", started Bulma. She was confused as to why the usually persistent and domineering Saiyan would just give up so easily.

"Not going to what?", asked Vegeta, cutting her off entirely.

Something in the back of his mind began to bother him. _Am I growing sensitive to her?_ The thought rattled him to the core. He could not afford these kinds of feeling now. _Feelings?_ The word was equivalent to blasphemy. The only woman who had ever been sacred to him was Apple, and she was gone now. There was no way he would let an annoying, clumsy Earthling girl ever reach that level of importance. In fact, he wasn't even sure anyone ever could.

But just spending time with Bulma, being around her, the smell of her hair, her outbursts, her laughter, her tears, her whirlwind of emotions so contrary to those of the passive and fragile Apple…he just couldn't help but care for her. He just couldn't help but…

Vegeta stopped the thought dead in its tracks. Bulma blinked up at him innocently, her bangs falling in wisps over her eyes. At that moment, she looked as vulnerable as Apple did all those years ago. Vegeta's heart skipped a beat. _No!_ Without looking back, Vegeta propelled himself from the room. He left without saying a word.

Bulma stared at the empty space Vegeta had stood in, long after he left. She was puzzled. The only thought in her head: _Was it something I said?_


	12. Such an Enigma!

Author's Note:

Hey guys, sorry about the shortness of these chapters. I figure it's better to just upload what I have, than to keep you waiting an extra long time for an update. I'll keep updating consistently to make up for the length!

Pleeeeeeeeeeease review! Not much else to say, except hope you like this chapter!

* * *

PISSSSH! The sound of the Gravity Room powering down woke Vegeta from his trance-like fighting routine. Nowadays, it was one of the most depressing sounds he could ever hear. It meant he that would be forced back into the world of his tumultuous thoughts. If it wasn't Apple he was thinking about, it was Frieza, or his parents, or the blue-haired idiot…He much preferred allowing his mind to get lost in battle, no matter how physically painful it was.

Vegeta sighed and stepped out into the brilliant sunlight. Even he could appreciate that underneath the glowing sun; it was a beautiful spring day. The grass swayed gently in the breeze. At a distance he could hear a clanging noise. Without even looking, he knew it was the woman working on yet another one of her devices. The smell of cookies was in the air – the woman's mother of course. Vegeta frowned, was he get overly accustomed to this life?...

Bulma was finishing up on her newest Capsule Motorcycle. She just couldn't get the damn seat to stay in straight, and have given in to physically beating the device with a wrench. It was always the simple things that eluded her. She wiped the sweat of brow as she heard the Gravity Room depower.

For the past few months, ever since Bulma recovered from her fever, Vegeta had avoided her like the plague. Winter went by with simple grunts, and curt nods between the two. He wouldn't even bother arguing with her like he usually did. Sometimes, she wondered if she reminded him of someone he hated. The thought made her anxious, but she didn't bother to resolve the situation either. Bulma figured it would probably be best for both of them if things just stayed that way.

Bulma dropped what she was working on altogether, and moved to the backyard of Capsule Corp. It would probably be a good time to take a break – that way, she wouldn't inconveniently run into Vegeta. As she made her way around the back entrance, Bulma heard a loud explosion rock the very foundation of her house. It came from the Gravity Room.

_Holy shit! What the hell was that?_ After finding her balance, Bulma ran around to the front of the Capsule Corp building. She saw the Gravity Room lying in shambles, and Vegeta lying a few feet away. He didn't look particularly injured, just somewhat bedraggled from the explosion.

"Vegeta! What the hell?", cried Bulma as she reached the wrecked device.

Vegeta looked up at Bulma, seemingly surprised to see her. His initial surprise turned to anger almost immediately. "How the FUCK should I know you stupid woman? I just left the room like I always do – and then it suddenly exploded!"

Bulma looked down, frustrated. It was the most they had spoken in almost months, and all he could do was hurl insults at her. Vegeta, noticing her reaction, toned down a bit.

"I did nothing out of the ordinary", he stated matter-of-factly.

A particular object within the center of the wreckage caught Bulma's eye. It was a charred core.

"Vegeta, you overheated the core", replied Bulma with a sigh, "Did I not tell you that the Gravity Room's core needs some time to cool down every once in a while? I mean, how many days do you spend in here without giving it a rest?"

"And isn't it your job as an engineer to make a more effective training device? Didn't you say you would make yourself useful for this coming battle?", shot back Vegeta.

Bulma sighed heavily yet again. She had very little fighting spirit left, and Vegeta easily noticed it. An insult like that would have easily warranted him a lengthy retort just a few months ago. Bulma started to leave. She wanted to fix the Gravity Room as soon as possible, so as to get Vegeta off her back.

The Saiyan's heavy hand stopped her just two steps into her exit. He held Bulma by the forearm.

"What's wrong?", asked Vegeta bluntly. He didn't really want to express concern for the woman, but he had to know.

Bulma stared at Vegeta wide-eyed. _Did he really just ask me "what's wrong"? _Bulma considered her options at that moment. Her heart was picking up its pace from just having him so close.

Matters quickly became worse when, having received no response, Vegeta placed both hands on Bulma's shoulders and pulled her in a little closer.

"What's wrong?", repeated Vegeta in his most concerted effort at projecting a gentle voice.

Bulma swallowed thickly. "Nothing", she peeped.

"Are you sure?", asked Vegeta. He swept away a few loose strands of hair from over Bulma's eyes. He had decided that the only way the woman would be honest with him, would be if he displayed as much _gentleness_ as possible.

Bulma knew she must've looked and sounded like an idiot, but she just couldn't figure this man out. A host of emotions were flooding her entire being. Suddenly, she didn't really want to be out in the sunlight anymore. It felt hot and heavy, and far too bright outside.

How could Vegeta make her feel this way, just through touch alone? Was she _that_ in love with a man who had once been her mortal enemy, who basically treated her like crap whenever he was in a bad mood? She didn't understand herself anymore. She didn't understand Vegeta's manipulation tactics. Why was he now treating her as if he cared about her? Bulma felt tears threatening to spill out.

"Get away from me", she whispered.

"What?", asked Vegeta, slightly taken aback.

"I said—GET AWAY FROM ME!", roared Bulma, her voice finally freeing itself from within the depths of her soul. She made an attempt to shove Vegeta away from her. Of course, even her strongest shove didn't faze him. He hardly noticed her attempt to push him away, but he recognized the weight of her words. She was mad at him for something he didn't quite understand, and he wasn't about to let her go this time without knowing what was wrong.

"Let go of me!", screamed Bulma. She tugged, pulled, kicked, punched, and scratched at Vegeta. And although she was trying to get away from him, Bulma finally found a physical release for her pent up emotions through this beating. All throughout her fit of rage, Vegeta did not once release his firm grip on Bulma's wrist. He didn't move or speak – never once betraying any emotion he might have felt. He simply allowed Bulma to beat at him.

After several minutes of this, Bulma finally gave up. It was pointless. She could never get away from Vegeta, in more ways than one. It was something her broken heart had to accept.

Bulma dropped to her knees in hysterical sobs, and Vegeta released his grip on her wrist. After a moment of consideration, he knelt down in front of her. She seemed remarkably vulnerable. Apple had cried in front of him several times. Sometimes he knew what to say, and sometimes he didn't. It always depended on whether he could understand the situation. _Women, such an enigma._

But every time that Vegeta couldn't understand the thoughts going through her mind, he would do one thing to comfort her…perhaps it would work with Bulma too. After all, she was a woman too, wasn't she?

Vegeta took a deep breath and shoved Bulma on her back, flat onto the dewy grass. Hovering over her, his knees straddling either side of her waist, Vegeta leaned in like a predator stalking its prey. Bulma's crying almost came to an abrupt halt at the prospect of having been shoved onto the ground, and the realization of the close proximity between Vegeta's face and her own. She could feel his warm breath on her cheeks. She could see the dark irises of his eyes, a color so deep she felt as if she was falling into space. _What the hell—_

Vegeta quickly leaned in closer, firmly pressed his lips against Bulma's. Using one hand to sustain the weight of his upper body, Vegeta used his free hand to grab hold of one of Bulma's wrists, yet again, this time pinning it above her head as he persisted in his kiss. He had her firmly locked in a passionate embrace.

Bulma could have died right then and there. She felt her blood pressure shoot up through the roof. In fact, she had become completely catatonic for several seconds. The situation was not registering in her brain. It felt as though all of the nerve endings in her body were firing off, setting of tiny electrical storms over the surface of her skin.

And although Vegeta had taken this course of action for what he thought was Bulma's sake, he too felt the acceleration of his own heartbeat. In fact, it was pounding so hard in chest, he feared the woman would be able to hear it and take it as a sign of weakness. His emotions were taking over his body in a way they hadn't since…well…Apple.

Vegeta pried open the woman's mouth with his tongue, tasting the sweetness of her mouth, massaging her tongue with his own. Bulma didn't resist. She grabbed the base of Vegeta's neck with her free hand and pulled him in tightly. Her actions set Vegeta's heart on fire. A growing need at the pit of his stomach kindled his instincts. The pair began to make out savagely, almost viciously. Bulma could taste blood on her tongue, she felt the bruising of her lips, but she didn't care. She wanted to rip out Vegeta's mouth with her own.

Vegeta's eyes were glossing over with desire, so much so that he failed to notice when he shifted too much of his weight onto Bulma. Bulma immediately struggled to breath, but he kept kissing her, failing to notice her squirming beneath him. It was not until he felt her body stiffen entirely that Vegeta snapped back to reality. Underneath his weight, Bulma had passed out. She was breathing softly, but her eyes were closed and her lips were still slightly parted from the kiss.

"Oh shit", Vegeta heard himself say out loud.

Inconveniently, Bunny stepped out onto the front lawn at that same moment. She had been carrying lemonade for the pair. And for the first time ever, Vegeta saw the blonde's eyes blink open in shock. All things considered, Vegeta did not fail to realize that he was still straddling her unconscious daughter's waist with his own legs, her arm still pinned above her head underneath his grip. Several seconds into the uncomfortable confrontation, however, Vegeta couldn't help but notice the blonde staring at his waist – her mouth agape in what appeared to be a mixture of horror and fascination.

Vegeta finally looked down, only to see what could only be described as a raging hard-on. He would have even patted himself on the back if it hadn't been for the present predicament he found himself in. He could easily assume what the nosy old bat was thinking,

"It's not what you think!", protested Vegeta.

Bunny could no longer control the shriek that escaped her lips as she dropped the glasses of lemonade, her hands rushing up to cover her eyes. And even as the glasses shattered against the ground, Vegeta could tell that he had just hurled himself into a whole world of _complicated._


End file.
